Black Lagoon: Dead Men Tell No Tales
by Ricknarok
Summary: Hotel Moscow is on the verge of eradicating the Dead Men threat in Roanapur after a move that may have given them a well-needed advantage. But Hunter has other plans as his people make their final movements towards taking down their enemies. It's full speed ahead as Lagoon Company rush to act before the city is beyond help... 'Book 3 of the "City of Fire" Trilogy.'
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1: The Beginning Of The End

Augustus walked into Balalaika's office at noon, escorted by Boris. The American was looking around him curiously. Not only was the office of Hotel Moscow's boss immaculate, it was also fit to receive the pope should he choose to visit. Though that seemed wildly unlikely, in Kells's mind. Once he was done marvelling at the interior of the office, he looked forward at Balalaika. She offered him a smile in greeting and waved Boris away.

The fact that she was willing to be alone with Kells was an incredible sign of her trust in him. Or, more plausibly, perhaps she was simply formidable enough in her own right to defend herself should the scar-faced man prove to be untrustworthy. Nevertheless, he extended his arm in greeting and smiled back at her.

"Balalaika," he began. "So you're the mastermind behind that business in New York. Quite the feat your man pulled off. What was his name, Okajima?"

"We call him Rock," the Russian corrected him. "And, yes, he is quite something, isn't he? Nobody better for the job."

"Seeing as I'm here, I'd have to agree." They both took their seats. "So, how can I help you? What's the word on Hunter?"

"We want you to provide us with any information you can," Balalaika told him firmly. "Anything that can give us an edge over these Dead Men. As for Hunter, the word is the same as it has always been. No sightings, no activities that we know of. Nothing. The man is a ghost." Augustus chuckled knowingly. Having worked with Hunter for years, he knew just how capable the man was.

It did not surprise him in the least that a criminal organisation as prolific as Hotel Moscow had no idea where he was or what he was up to. It seemed they needed Augustus far more than they told him. Without his help they could be at this war with Hunter for months. In that time, he might do unspeakable damage to the city and the operations of the ruling factions. It was a good thing they called on Kells when they did.

"Well, you can start by telling me what you've been doing to try and take Hunter down," Augustus told her. "I imagine a woman such as yourself has access to resources most governments would envy."

"You're very kind," Balalaika replied in false gratitude. "Suffice it to say that I've had constant patrols doing rounds of the city since my last encounter with Hunter. All the local apartment buildings have been searched thoroughly and my people watch the exits to Roanapur daily. On top of that, the Triad's leader, Mister Chang, has been lending his aid in a similar fashion. His own people toil day and night to try and sniff out the Dead Men."

"Impressive," Kells told her with a smile. He would fit in well in this city. "But I'm afraid I'm going to have to disappoint you. I mean this in the nicest way possible, Miss Balalaika, but your people are wasting their time." The Russian woman raised an eyebrow ever so slightly.

"Is that so? Do elaborate."

"Alright, down to business. I've known Hunter for a long time. During my service in the Dead Men, I learned a lot from him. I was as good as his second in command. That means I know almost all of his strategies, his tactics. That is, if he hasn't changed them."

"Anything you can tell me would help," Balalaika reiterated, growing impatient with Kells's roundabout way of speaking. He would do well to make a point soon.

"First thing's first," he went on. "Transportation. Hunter himself drives around in an armoured grey Dodge Challenger."

"I've had my people keeping an eye out for it," Balalaika piped up to save Kells the trouble of boring her further with redundant information.

"But he rarely travels anywhere personally," Augustus continued, adamant that what he was saying would be worthwhile if Balalaika persevered. "More often than not, he'll be sending groups of his people into the city to do his dirty work. But they don't use their usual silver jeeps. And they won't be wearing their usual outfits either. The Dead Men use normal taxis to drive around. The reason your people haven't spotted them is because they blend into the traffic. I doubt your subordinates would look twice at a cab."

That was actually quite useful. Hundreds of taxis passed in and out of the city every day. If the Dead Men hijacked a number of them and used them to transport their people, it would be frustratingly easy to pass by Balalaika's patrols and Chang's scouts without being detected. That way, they could sneak around Roanapur all they wanted and do who knew what, setting their greater plans in motion.

"A clever tactic," Balalaika said calmly, masking her urgency. She was eager to update her people about this, but she needed to see this meeting with Augustus out. Whatever he could tell them would be appreciated. They needed to catch Hunter and couldn't afford to waste any more time. The trip to New York had already taken four days away from Hotel Moscow, four valuable days they needed to use wisely. Regardless, Kells was here now. Balalaika just hoped he would be worth the trouble.

"And one he's used before, have no doubt," Augustus told her. "It's been keeping his people safe and undetected for years, any time he needs to get a group passed enemy territory. But I'm sure you're eager to know what his plans are."

"You know what his next move will be?" Balalaika asked, incredulous. It was doubtful Kells had that kind of information, seeing as how he had cut all ties with the Dead Men five months ago.

"Not specifically," Kells said. Balalaika supposed she couldn't have hoped for anything better. "But I know how his mind works. And I know how he deals with his enemies. I've seen it all, from taking out petty gangs to toppling ancient criminal empires. He's done it all. So believe me when I tell you my insight will be valuable."

"I have no doubt. So, enlighten me. What is the man's next move?"

"Before I say, tell me…what was it that pissed him off? I don't imagine he just up and decided to try and take a slice of the criminal underworld here."

"No, nothing so foolish, I must admit," Balalaika told him. "He came in search of a girl. Usagi, I think her name was. She fled here to get away from him and her father. Apparently, she stole documents of some sort in the process. Hunter showed up and demanded that I give him what he wanted. In response, I put a price on his head and told him he wasn't in charge." Augustus whistled. It was unsurprising that he was impressed by any act of resistance against the Dead Men. He certainly bore no love for them.

"Goddamn, you don't fuck around," he exclaimed. His expression turned forlorn, then. "But you say Usagi came here? That's unfortunate. She's a good kid. Pity she got dragged into this shit because of Hunter. Just another reason to take him down, I guess." Once he noticed Balalaika's disinterested expression, he cleared his throat and sat up straight. "But, uh, I'm sure you're wondering about the documents. You don't know what they are?"

"They didn't interest me," Balalaika told him simply. "I assumed they contained information on the Dead Men's dealings."

"More or less," Augustus confirmed, though his expression and tone of voice suggested there was a bit more to it. The mystery surrounding these documents rose by the day. And Balalaika could not have cared less. "He keeps records of his negotiations and transactions with foreign companies. There's some other shit in there, too, but it's mostly files on people he wants to kill or ally with." Augustus produced a cigar from his pocket and lit it as he thought about the situation. He had to take recent events into consideration if he was going to understand where Hunter's path was leading. He certainly wanted the ruling factions taken down, though Hotel Moscow certainly must have ranked higher on his shit list than the Triad or the cartels.

According to Balalaika, he had come after Usagi, likely to retrieve the documents she stole. If Augustus remembered Usagi, she would have taken money too. That surely pissed Hunter off. Kells had to resist chuckling at the thought. Hunter was a dark, cruel, aggressive man but one with his own code of morals and ethics. He likely wanted to take Usagi back to Hong Kong to punish her and use her to serve as an example of what happens when he is disobeyed.

If Rahul was still a loyal subject of the man in black, he would be in the city now, too, in an attempt to get his daughter back. "It's a tricky situation, a bit different than what I've seen before. But there are parallels. If I'm right, you'll want to get on tracking down these taxis soon. Hunter will be using them to get from wherever he's hiding to particular spots in the city. That way, he can position kill squads of his people and order them to remain hidden until he gives the order. When that time comes, you won't want to be in this office. I imagine one of these squads is near this building right now."

"I appreciate the warning," Balalaika told him genuinely. "I should have assumed he'd know where I'd be during the day."

"And this Mister Chang you mentioned will be at risk too," Kells warned her. Wherever he hangs his hat, you'll want to do a sweep of the surrounding area."

"And that brings us onto the topic of where it Hunter hangs _his_ hat," Balalaika hummed. "I'm sure you won't be able to provide anything concrete without significant knowledge of the city, but your deduction skills seem remarkable already so I'm listening."

"I'm flattered," Kells told her roguishly before his face turned serious. "He'd want somewhere quiet. A place that's secluded and out of the way. That probably rules out an apartment block or hotel room, but have one or two guys posted just in case. If he's smart, which I think past experience has proven he is, he'll have the bulk of his manpower somewhere remote. That might mean he's not even inside the city. You might want to broaden your search a bit."

"I see," Balalaika remarked. It struck her as odd that she hadn't considered the notion that the Dead Men might be out in the country somewhere. That would give them the perfect advantage, especially considering their people would enter the city using taxis, effectively making the forces of Hotel Moscow and the Triad useless. Hunter was a clever man, indeed. If Balalaika was any younger or less experienced, he would actually frighten her. "I'll have to have eyes outside Roanapur at all times, if your assumption is correct."

"I'm sure it is," Kells told her confidently. "I've known Hunter since we were nine years old. If there's anyone on this planet that understands how his mind works, it's me."

"I'll remember that," Balalaika assured him before producing a cigar of her own. Upon noticing this, Kells immediately leaned forward.

"Can I offer you a light?" he asked, a roguish, cheeky glint in his eye. Balalaika couldn't help but chuckle as she, too, leaned forward and lit the end of her cigar with his own.

"Well, aren't you sweet," she muttered, leaning back in her chair and inhaling deeply. "I dare say you would have made a fine leader of the Dead Men yourself had you taken the mantle from Hunter during your time under him."

"Maybe," Kells said. "But I sure as hell wouldn't want to be associated with the organisation that took on the great Balalaika. I have no desire to be on your bad side." Balalaika smirked at him.

"Aren't you sweet," she repeated.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2: The Last Wolves

Wolf strode up to his apartment at half nine in the morning. The flight back from New York had been long and tiring, not to mention the fact that he hadn't slept a wink. All he wanted to do was fall into bed and forget about all this business with the Dead Men. As he neared the door, he remembered Roberta and Lucille. He was glad they were here. Not only because they would protect Usagi better than he ever could, but because he had grown quite fond of them during his time in this city.

The Bloodhound had always been an object of curiosity for him. She had been a formidable killer in her prime, doping unspeakable things. And yet, she was one of the most humane individuals in the city at this time. That made Wolf comfortable around her. And Lucille had once been an enemy of his. There was a time when she would easily have shot him and thought nothing of it. But now, they were allies, closer than many in Roanapur.

It pleased him that it was the two of them guarding Usagi and not someone he did not know well. He grabbed the doorknob and turned it gently, easing the door open and stepping inside. The barrel of a gun was instantly pressed against his forehead, causing him to jump back in fright and let out a startled cry. Upon seeing who it was that entered, Roberta quickly lowered the gun.

"Jesus!" Wolf exclaimed. "A little jumpy, aren't we?"

"Oh! I am sorry," the maid apologised, abashed. "We did not expect you back so soon." Lucille sat by the window in the corner, a smile across her face. At least she was amused by that display.

"It's alright," Wolf told her, his hand over his chest. "I might need a change of pants, though. What's the latest?" Lucille and Roberta exchanged a glance with one another for a moment. That didn't look good. Clearly, something had happened in Wolf's absence. "I wasn't gone that long, was I?"

"There's a…situation," Lucille began, rising from her seat. "Someone came here while you were gone. She tried to break in so we apprehended her." The Englishwoman pointed to a cut on her chin. "That's her handiwork. She's a feisty one."

"Where is she?"

"We're keeping her in Usagi's room." Wolf did not say anything for a moment, assuming he did not need to actually ask where the girl was.

"And Usagi?" he questioned at last. Without warning, the young Chinese girl emerged from the bathroom. She stopped dead upon noticing the assassin.

"Wolf! You're back!" She gave him no time to respond, rushing forward and hugging him. He was taken aback by that, but it was a welcome display nonetheless.

"Bring her out, then," Wolf told Lucille as soon as Usagi released him. "I want to talk to this woman, find out why she wanted in here." He had a hunch who it was that tried to make her way into his apartment. Andromeda had been in the city since Black Bear, and yet there had been no sign of her since her encounter with Wolf on the road. While it was possible she was simply good at her job, no attempt had been made on Chang or Balalaika's lives, a job the assassin had been hired for. Wolf's mention of Sif likely stayed her hand for the time being.

He wanted to speak with her, to find out more about her and what it was she hoped to accomplish by serving the Dead Men. If they could figure out how to turn her against Hunter, she would be an invaluable ally, one the Dead Men's leader would rue hiring. Then again, if her ideals were anything like Wolf, she would not be so easily swayed. There had been countless occasions in the past when Wolf had been hired to assassinate a target only for his victim to offer more money in exchange for their lives. The assassin refused every time. He respected the sanctity of the contract killing, the business he was in. If his gun could so easily be bought, the entire practice of killing for money would break down.

It was almost an unspoken rule amongst assassins that to abandon your old contract for more money was to forfeit your credibility and principles. Such individuals were branded cowards and terrorists rather than assassins. If Andromeda was like most of the assassins out there, she would do everything in her power to kill Chang and Balalaika before she left the city. Lucille went into Usagi's room, returning a few seconds later with a bound Andromeda. The blonde assassin had her arms tied behind her back and that face wrap still kept her nose and mouth hidden. Lucille forced her to her knees and fell in beside Wolf, who took a few steps forward and removed the face wrap.

"You sure pick your times to come and see me," he mocked light heartedly. "The one time I'm not in the city, you come knocking."

"Funny," Andromeda replied drily. "Nice to see you had these two watching the place. If it wasn't for them, I would have been in and out without the girl knowing."

"Why did you come?" Wolf asked pointedly. It was obvious she wanted something, but he wasn't entirely sure what just yet. Andromeda glanced at the other three for a moment, apparently not comfortable speaking in front of them. "Give us a minute."

"You sure?" Lucille asked. They knew how dangerous this woman was. Left alone with Wolf, she could do some serious damage. But it did not appear that she wanted to harm him. It seemed she had come here for something else.

"Yeah. I'll be alright. Go get yourselves a coffee or something." With one last warning glance at the bound assassin, Lucille, Roberta and Usagi hesitantly left the apartment and made their way towards the centre of the city. "So, you want to tell me why you tried breaking in here?"

"I didn't have anything sinister on my mind, if that's what you're thinking," Andromeda claimed. "If you can believe that, I'd be grateful. I also want you to know that I had no idea what Black Bear was planning." Wolf felt a pang of anger in his chest at the mention of the Native American. The fact that the two assassins had been hired alongside one another by Hunter made it unlikely Andromeda had no knowledge of the man's potential for depravity. Then again, if Benny's information was to be believed, the two had never worked together personally before. "I heard what he did. To that girl who was just here. Usagi, is it? I knew nothing about the Bear before the Dead Men hired him for this job. When I found out…well, I was as disgusted as any of you."

"I doubt it," Wolf told her, grabbing a stool and taking a seat in front of her. Indeed, there were few who were as horrified and shocked as Wolf, fewer still who wanted to watch Bear be torn apart as punishment. Andromeda averted her eyes for a second as though she was at fault. The fact that she came to the city alongside Bear must have made her feel somewhat guilty for his actions.

"But that's beside the point," she went on. "I came here because of what you said that day we first met. You mentioned Sif."

"I did," Wolf confirmed. "I thought it might intrigue you enough to halt your progress. That way, Chang and Balalaika would be spared and I'd have you taken hostage. It seems you played right into my hands." Andromeda smirked.

"If I wasn't tied up, I'd offer you a standing ovation," she joked. "But you clearly knew Sif. Otherwise, you wouldn't have bothered mentioning her."

"Yeah, I knew her. One of the few people who knew her as Amelia, I'm sure. Wasn't until about a year ago I found out the name she went by after I left Wolf Pack." Andromeda nodded, evidently in the same boat as Wolf. If she was a prototype for Sif's new organisation to the same extent as Wolf, she probably knew her former mentor by the name Amelia as well.

"How'd you get away?" Andromeda asked. They were both curious about one another, about how the other one managed to leave without being executed.

"I ran," Wolf said simply. "She trained me for two years. Then she came to me one day, after I finished. She told me what I was going to be doing, wiping out villages of people and stealing the merchandise of rival organisations. I told her I wanted out if that was what she had planned for me. And that was that. I assume you were the same?"

"No, regrettably," Andromeda said, much to Wolf's surprise. "I was with her for a long time. She sent me on my first mission, out to a town in Nigeria. Place was a wasteland. Local gangs and militaries would steamroll through the place every month or so and do as they pleased. I killed everyone I saw there in the name of Wolf Pack. But as the others were loading up the truck with the shipments, I spotted a group of kids. Guess I'd just assassinated their parents. After that…I told her I couldn't do it. I told her I wanted out."

"That didn't end well, I'm guessing." Andromeda laughed at the absurdity of that understatement.

"Suffice it to say I was lucky to make it out alive at all," she went on. "I heard about her death about three months after it happened. People that told me claimed she was taken out by one of her own. Or, well, someone who used to be one of her own. You and me both know Wolf Pack hunted down anyone that left. Anyone else they were after has been dead for a long time. We're the last ones, you and me. Because it's practically common knowledge that her entire organisation were wiped out along with her that day. The ones who weren't either died shortly after or they killed themselves. That narrows down the candidates of who took Sif out." It was obvious what she was getting at, but Wolf didn't want to give her the satisfaction of just outright telling her. Besides, she had clearly come to that conclusion herself.

"I see your point."

"Then…it was you?" Andromeda asked. "You killed her, after she came looking for you."

"It wasn't easy, don't get me wrong," Wolf assured her. "And I had help. If it wasn't for a few of the people in this city, she would have cut me to pieces and moved on with her life." Wolf could have told her about Ulysses. He could have explained that one of the rulers of Roanapur that Hunter wanted dead had been the original leader of Wolf Pack before Sif took over. But he didn't. He needed to keep some things from her, almost as an incentive to remain passive. Otherwise, she may well turn aggressive and get on with her mission. He couldn't allow that.

Despite the fact that they had no knowledge of Andromeda's current predicament, Chang and Balalaika were in Wolf's debt. Had he not piqued the woman's interest enough to come looking for him and get captured, she would be out there right now trying to kill them.

"So, um…?"

"Call me Wolf." Andromeda couldn't help but snigger at that.

"Ironic," she teased. "So, Wolf, where do we go from here? I doubt you're going to turn me loose and let me get on with my life, not even for old time's sake."

"'For old time's sake' doesn't work here," Wolf corrected her. "We never met before the other day. Besides, if I let you go you'll probably finish out the job Hunter hired you for. I don't suppose our little chat was enough to secure your loyalty?"

"Sorry, Wolf," Andromeda told him with a feigned expression of sadness. "No can do. After I see this job out, Hunter will have fifty grand waiting for me. Besides, you and I both know I can't turn my back on this. It's not our style. We're contract killers, you and me. You don't get a reputation for changing your mind because someone richer came along. You take out the target no matter what, right?"

"Right. Just a pity your targets are my allies." Andromeda was a formidable woman, one who would bring the Dead Men to their knees if she worked with Roanapur's ruling factions. But she was too loyal, too principled and faithful to her contract to turn away from it. For that reason, Wolf couldn't let her go. "Well, you better get comfortable, then. You'll be here a while if you don't want to help us take out Hunter."

"That's a risky move," Andromeda warned him. "Aren't you afraid I'll get out while you're all sleeping?" Wolf chuckled.

"Not even a bit. Clearly, you don't know Lucille or Roberta. I'll let you all get acquainted when they get back. Then you'll understand why I'm not even a little scared of keeping you here."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3: Something To Fear

Rock strolled out of his room at twelve in the afternoon. The trip to New York had been long and taxing for him. Even now, he was still jaded from it. But he couldn't just lie in bed all day, contrary to Revy's beliefs. There was likely work to be done. He had donned his usual short sleeved shirt, green tie and slacks now that he was back in the city. Benny and Dutch were already awake, both relaxing in the living room. They both looked ready to get to work.

"Rock," Dutch greeted him. "Wasn't sure if you were gonna wake up at all today."

"Don't worry," he assured his boss. "I'm ready to get to work. What's the word?"

"Nothing much yet," Benny explained. "As far as we know, Kells is meeting with Balalaika right now. We won't know much for a while, you know Hotel Moscow." That was true enough. As far as Balalaika was concerned, Lagoon Company only needed to know the bare minimum, enough to get them through the job. Right now, she would formulate a plan by herself in preparation for the inevitable showdown with Hunter. If she needed Lagoon, she would call upon them. Otherwise, they would not hear from her. They didn't much care, so long as Hunter was dealt with. His presence in the city didn't exactly make them feel safe. While he had no quarrel with them, he was still dangerous and highly unpredictable. Because of that, they would remain on high alert until he was dispatched.

Rock wanted to see Usagi. According to Wolf, she had finally come out of her room just before their trip to New York. That was good news. As good as he was at hiding it, that pleased Rock greatly. He had been worried about her after Black Bear's appearance. It horrified and sickened him what the American assassin was capable of. And Usagi's slowly degrading physical and mental state made that even worse. But to hear that she may actually have been healing was great news. Rock needed to see her, if not for himself for her. The last time they met, she had been aggressive and vicious, refusing to listen to his words of comfort and commanding him to leave her alone. Perhaps he could attempt to make reparations for that encounter now that she would presumably be open to speaking with him again.

He told the other two he was heading out dismissively before leaving without giving them a chance to respond. They wouldn't care that much, anyway. While Roanapur may not have been safe right now, it never truly was. Every time Rock left the apartment, he was in danger. But he needed to see Usagi, especially after everything that had transpired since she shut herself away from the world. There was much to discuss.

Despite the looming threat of the Dead Men, the streets of Roanapur remained largely the same. Gangsters fought openly, drug dealers tried and failed to blend in and miscellaneous criminals waltzed down the street like they owned the place. They did not care about Hunter so much as acknowledge his presence as a nuisance. For them all, life went on. Hunter bore them no ill will. Only Chang and Balalaika were in danger from the Dead Men. Everyone else continued on with their lives as if nothing had changed, because for the most part, it hadn't. It almost annoyed Rock to see that. But he couldn't have hoped for anything better, he learned that a long time ago. Everyone in this city was out for themselves, save for a few select individuals, and they would not lift a finger against an enemy unless it was absolutely necessary or there was significant profit to be made.

Rock came to a stop with his back turned to an alleyway and his eyes fixed on the people of this city, passing him by without giving him a second glance. It was almost over, now. This business with the Dead Men had been building up for a little over two weeks now, nearing one final climax. One way or another, it would all end soon. Hunter would leave Roanapur, either on his ship or in a coffin. Rock inhaled a deep breath as a breeze blew in over him. Without warning, a single gloved hand grabbed him from behind, covering his mouth and dragging him into the darkness of the alley. Several other hands grabbed for him and bound his hands behind his back noiselessly as he was gagged and a sack was put over his head. Before he even had time to react, he was thrown into what he presumed was the back of a car.

None of the people who grabbed him spoke a word, nor did they make any noise at all. The only thing Rock heard was the engine of the car as they drove off for parts unknown. The journey took about ten minutes, if the Japanese man's count was right. Once the car came to a stop, he heard the clang of a gate being closed. He was roughly taken from the car, then, and lead to an interior. The sound of voices reached his ears as he was forced to his knees. The sack was removed swiftly, the light almost blinding Rock. Once he had adjusted to the new environment, he looked up apprehensively. Hunter was standing there, a wicked smile on his face as he studied his hostage. Disturbingly, that was not the most frightening sight. As Rock looked around him, he spotted a hundred or so men and women in the combat outfits of the Dead Men, all armed and ready for war. He could feel himself panicking just at the sight of this.

"So glad you could make it," Hunter said then. None of his people turned to watch this exchange. They had likely known Rock would be taken hostage. Either they didn't much care what their boss had to say to him or they knew better than to be nosy. Hunter nodded to the four men behind Rock, who joined the rest of the crowd and left the two men to talk. Hunter removed Rock's restraints and motioned for him to stand. He did so. "That's better, ain't it? Can't imagine it was too comfortable being thrown into the back of that car, tied up like you were. I apologise for that, but I couldn't risk you getting away, could I?"

"Why am I here?" Rock asked, his voice hoarse and his face pale. The sight of the Dead Men had truly terrified him. Not only had the sheer number of them been unprecedented, but they were all well-armed and evidently prepared to fight. What was worse, there were probably more in the city right now. That raised the question of where exactly 'here' was.

"Well, it's not to break bread and drink tea, if that's what you're thinking," Hunter joked. "But I'm not going to kill you, so you can relax. You're in this for the long haul, kid." He turned then and started for the centre of what appeared to be the main hall of the warehouse they must have been in. Rock followed cautiously, looking around him nervously at the intimidating ranks of the Dead Men. "I've been watching you. Or at the very least my people have. A few days ago, they lost you. Then you suddenly showed up again yesterday morning. I'm not asking where you were, we'll get to that later. But I am interested in you, Rock. You're quite the character." The two of them ascended to the walkway in the centre of the room, then, looking down at the horde of killers below. The sight was even more unsettling from this height. "Part of the reason I had you brought here is because I wanted to show you this." He turned to Rock, then, and stared him dead in the eye. "You had no idea what you were up against, did you? You must be pissing your pants right now. And how unfortunate that you can't run back to your friends and warn them. Oh, well. You'll just have to make yourself comfortable here until then."

"And where is here, exactly?" Rock ventured. Seeing as how his escape was practically impossible, there wasn't really any risk in telling him where he was being kept. Hunter might not have seen it quite like that, though.

"A warehouse," he answered coyly. "I thought that much was obvious. As for the exact location, I'm not sure you need to know. Suffice it to say we're located somewhere quite advantageous. While Hotel Moscow and the Triad scurry about in their city searching every whorehouse and drug den for me, I safely move my pawns into place from the safety of this place." It took Rock a few moments to realise what Hunter was getting at, but when he did it wasn't difficult to deduce where he was. The windows were all completely boarded up. That eliminated any source of light from being seen from a distance at night. The sheer size of the place, too, suggested there was room in other parts of the warehouse to store vehicles and equipment. And if the bullet holes in the walls were anything to go by, there had been a firefight here in the past.

"Lucille's warehouse…," Rock breathed. During the infiltration of Roanapur by Godswrath, they had been hiding out in a warehouse just outside of town. Balalaika discovered this when her people spotted light coming from said hideout, prompting them to lead an assault on the task force. Hunter had the good sense to prepare for that.

"Pardon me?" the crime lord asked, then. There was a moment of silence. "Lucille? Let me guess…the soldier?"

"How did you-!"

"Oh, come on, Rock," Hunter interrupted him. "Even a retard would be able to figure out it wasn't any old gang that was hiding out here. The weapons? The ammo? Nah, they were all military grade hardware. And this Lucille…she was in charge of whatever was going on, I take it. She's in Roanapur right now?" Rock's silence said it all, prompting Hunter to break out into a fit of laughter. "Damn, that's too fucking good! We got us a fucking warrior of justice just putting her feet up in that city. Don't tell me she's currently wedged firmly in Balalaika's ass crack."

"She's hiding out," Rock explained. "After she came here, her people were wiped out. Hotel Moscow still thinks she's dead."

"But she's not, huh? She's living right under their nose." Hunter nodded, a smile on his face that suggested either he had an idea or he was curious about the prospect of going toe-to-toe with Lucille. "Well, I'll have to meet this woman. She sounds like a hell of a girl. But that's neither here nor there, Rocky Boy. Real reason I brought you out here was to talk. It took longer than expected, but I heard what happened out there. At the steelyard." Rock's eyes widened as he sensed where this was going. Hunter was a disciplinarian, one who was intent on punishing those who disobeyed him personally. Not only had the escape of Black Bear been a subject of anger for him, he was understandably angry that Kepler was dead, too. "I sent Max out there to kill Black Bear. The assassin, he was a trusted employee of mine, you know that much. So when I found out what he did, I wanted to dip his balls in a barrel of fucking acid. I sent my man out there to make sure he didn't get away. And what happened? Oh, that's right."

He struck Rock across the face with the back of his hand, sending the Japanese man down to land on the cold steel of the walkway. "YOU FUCKING KILLED HIM!" Though the Dead Men ceased their talking for a second and turned to see the source of the noise, they instantly went back to what they were doing when Hunter looked at them warningly. "That's right," he went on. "And not only did you kill one of my top enforcers, you took Black Bear for yourselves. My people saw his body dumped in the fucking river. The absolute cock-sucking cheek of you fuckers to hit two birds with one stone out there at the steelyard. Hell of a thing you pulled of, though. I'm man enough to admit when I've been fucked squarely in the ass. But I'm not letting your people get off that easy." He kneeled down beside Rock, then, and grabbed the front of his shirt, dragging him up slightly until their faces were inches apart. "Originally, I wanted Balalaika and Chang taken out. They were the priority. But now? I'm going to make them all pay for screwing me over. The Irish guy with the aviator jacket, I'm gonna keep his balls as a fucking trophy. The Chinese girl in the denim shorts, she's going to wish she was dead when I'm through with her. And that bitch with one eye. How about I gouge out the other one and feed it to her?"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4: Not Safe

"Mister Okajima?" Rock did not recognise the voice. He immediately turned his attention away from the floods of Dead Men below and came face to face with a Chinese man that looked only vaguely familiar.

"Do I know you?" he asked, confused. The man smirked and placed both hands in the pockets of his navy slacks. Hunter was not in earshot. If he was, this man likely would not have approached Rock. Whatever he wanted, it seemed like Hunter was not to know.

"My name is Rahul," he said. "I was at the port when Hunter met with Balalaika. I'm Usagi's father." That was where Rock knew him from. A faint feeling of sympathy formed in Rock as he imagined how his father must have felt upon learning what happened to Usagi. What was worse, it was entirely possible he had not been informed yet, though even that seemed a bit unlikely. Hunter was manipulative and diabolical, but he was not stupid. There was no way he would keep something like that from the girl's father for so long. "I only learned of the plan to take you a few minutes ago. My people were not too rough, I trust?"

There was something about Rahul, something odd and off-putting about his manner. Rock couldn't quite put his finger on it, but it made him wary of the man's intentions. Nevertheless, his words were somewhat comforting, to think that Rahul had a genuine curiosity about how roughly he had been treated. Had it been Hunter who asked that, Rock would have known straight away he didn't care either way. But Rahul was different. There was a very real sense of concern in his voice.

"As rough as you'd imagine," Rock told him. "I didn't expect any less from them."

"Ah, well…for what it's worth, I apologise. Had I been informed of this plan sooner, you would have been treated with a bit more care." He shot a look of confrontation towards Hunter's office, though the man himself was not in view. "But that's not what I came for. You've seen Usagi, yes? You've spoken to her?"

"Not since…before it happened," Rock said carefully, as if he was treading through a minefield. "Or, well, just after, actually."

"How was she?" Rahul asked intently, his voice low and measured. Of all the Dead Men in this warehouse right now, it was safe to assume only Rahul cared about his daughter's well-being and safety on a level nobody else did. Hunter only wanted the girl to punish her and to get his possessions back while the rest of the men and women were just following orders. True, some of them surely felt sorry for Usagi and wanted to help her, but such concerns were not part of their mission, meaning they would never be voiced to Hunter. That fact made Rock sad, to think the crime lord had his people so conditioned that they would not speak out about something like that.

"She was…subdued," Rock replied, doing his best to word his sentences tastefully. There was no animosity between him and Rahul, at least not to the extent that existed between Hunter and almost everyone in Roanapur. "She didn't talk much and when she did, she was…angry." Rahul's face said it all. That bothered him a lot. As her father, that was only natural. He must have been itching to get out there and see her for himself. "But I hear she's doing better. The Wolf…he told us she was talking again. It sounds like she might be on the mend."

"It will take years before she is healed!" Rahul snapped. He cleared his throat and looked away once he realised how rude he had been. "I…am sorry. I know you had nothing to do with this. You don't deserve my anger. I'm just concerned."

"I understand," Rock told him. "It's alright to be. She's your daughter."

"Tell me…what became of Black Bear?" Rahul asked, then. "We found his body, but Hunter had it disposed of before I saw it. A fact I will hold against him until my dying breath. How did he die? Did he suffer?" Rock was a bit taken aback by that before composing himself and taking a step forward. He felt a faint sense of confidence sweep in over him, if only for a moment. It brought back memories of Mister Fox, of a certain English soldier in an alleyway, of his former apartment that now belonged to Lucille. The darkness would not hold him, but it felt good to tap into it regarding this situation. Rock hated Black Bear more than many others.

"Suffer?" he asked, half laughing as he spoke. His voice grew quieter, then. "No, 'suffer' isn't the word. 'Suffer' doesn't even begin to describe it. I can't even imagine the horror of what was done to him. They tore him apart with their bare hands, until nothing was left but mangled flesh and bone. He was alive as they reached inside him and wriggled his organs about." Rahul couldn't help but smile at that. While he would have preferred to have been there, he would still take pleasure in the knowledge that the Bear received a coward's death, fit for the vilest of human beings.

"Dad?!" The voice reached their ears before they even noticed the door of the warehouse had been opened. The sound snapped Rock out of it as he took a step back and exhaled deeply. Three Dead Men strolled forward, Usagi in front of them. She immediately released herself from their grasp and ran up the stairs of the walkway to grab her father in a tight hug.

"Usagi! Oh, my dear…I'm so glad you're safe." It warmed Rock's heart to see how much Rahul genuinely cared for his daughter. As if to reiterate how apathetic Hunter was, he emerged from his office without missing a beat and went to the three men who brought the girl.

"Did you get the assassin?" he asked. "The Bloodhound? Tell me you fucking got them!" He knew Roberta's true identity, then. That was worrying, how resourceful and well-informed Hunter was.

"We tried," one of the men said. "They got Murphy and Keller. Just gunned them right down. There was a third woman there, with red hair and a military beret. We got out with the girl before she got the chance to kill us." Hunter looked briefly angry before a smile appeared on his face and he looked up at Rock.

"Is that right?" he asked to no one in particular. "A beret, huh? Say, what did it look like? Any telling who this bitch was?"

"It was, uh, a sword," another of the men said. "The badge. It looked like a sword. With wings."

"God-fucking-dammit," Hunter exclaimed. "Lucille, I'm guessing. She is the real deal, isn't she?" He gave Rock one last chilling smirk before turning and retreating to his office.

"Are you alright?" Rahul asked as he unwillingly pulled away from his daughter. "Are you hurt?"

"I'm okay, daddy," she answered, tears in her eyes now. It had been too long since she had been with her father, longer still since he had shown any significant affection for her, Rock suspected. "I'm okay…I…don't want to be here. With _him._ " She gestured to Hunter's office. Rahul nodded understandingly.

"I know you don't," he told her. "But you won't have to be. Not for long. You only have to put up with this for a little while longer. Then, we can go home and forget about this godforsaken city." It sounded like he was simply referring to Hunter's war with Balalaika and Chang, that once they were eliminated, the Dead Men could return home. But something about Rahul's demeanour and his tone of voice suggested otherwise. Someone else might not have picked up on it, but Rock suspected there was more going on here. Rahul rose, then, and patted his daughter on the shoulder before offering her a smile. "I won't be long. I'll be back very soon." With that, he descended the stairs and headed into one of the back rooms, leaving Rock and Usagi alone. Neither of them knew how to proceed, judging from the painful silence that followed.

"I-!"

"You-!" Both of them stopped once they realised the other was speaking.

"I'm sorry," Rock told her. "I didn't mean to interrupt you."

"It's alright," she told him, a smile on her face that Rock hadn't seen for too long. "I just wanted to…well, the last time we spoke, I was less than agreeable. I wanted to say that I'm sorry. You didn't deserve that. It was just so soon after…" As she trailed off, Rock saw tears begin to well up in her eyes again. Instinctively, he reached out and placed a hand on each of her shoulders.

"Don't you dare apologise," he told her very softly. "You have no reason to be sorry. I'm just glad you're alive. I'm happy you're safe. There's nothing else I want from you." As Usagi tried her best not to cry, Rock hesitantly put his arms around her and held her tightly. She had been through a lot. Not only that, but it seemed like this was the first time she had even come close to speaking about what happened with anyone. Even Wolf hadn't gotten the chance to talk to her about it when she emerged from her room that day, having been called to the steelyard by Rock. It was understandably a horrible subject, one that caused her unimaginable pain. Rahul was right. It would take years before she was even close to being back to normal again. But she would get there. All Rock could do was help her by being there for her.

"I'm glad you're here, Mister Okajima," she said as she pulled away from him and smiled. Upon realising how that must have sounded, she frowned and cursed her own idiocy. "I mean, not that you were kidnapped. I, well…Oh, god, that was an awful thing to say." Rock chuckled at the sight of her, stumbling over her words, concerned that she had caused offence when she hadn't.

"Usagi, relax," he urged her warmly. "I understand. I'm glad you're here too. And call me Rock. Or at the very least, Rokoro." She smiled at that.

"Rokoro," she hummed softly. "Thank you. You've been very understanding."

"Of course."

"Well, isn't this fucking lovely." As unwanted and unpredictable as ever, Hunter showed up at the base of the stairs, beginning his ascension with a shit-eating grin. Once he reached the walkway, he came to a stop and looked at Usagi. She was terrified of him, even now, even with her father not far. Considering he had hired Black Bear, the girl probably viewed him as part of the reason the assassin did what he did. "I gotta say, I'm glad you're back, Usagi. Really. You might not believe that, but the thought of you out there unprotected killed me."

"I had protection," she claimed, though her face still bore an expression of fear. Rock had to resist the urge to get in between them as Hunter advanced on the girl. "More than you know."

"Oh, I know all about your protection," he claimed. "How very fortunate that three of the most dangerous people in the city, no the world, were ready to kill anyone that came near you." He stopped then, as did Usagi. Hunter's expression turned quite serious as he glanced around him to make sure his Dead Men weren't listening. "Look, Usagi…I know how you think of me. It's in your fucking eyes every time I'm around. Even when you were a little girl, you used to look at me like I had ten arms every time I came over to see Rahul. But I swear to God himself, I would never have even considered hiring Black Bear if I knew what he would do. In fact, I would have hunted him down myself to stop him from doing it to anyone. And the fact that he did that…to you…well, it makes me fucking sick. You might not believe me, but I swear on my life, I would never advocate that. Ever." He raised his voice, then, just loud enough so that his Dead Men could hear. "And anyone who does that while I'm around is gonna have their dick cut off and fed to them, y'hear?!" He turned to Usagi once more. "I swear, I care about your safety more than you know. And I will do everything to make sure you're as protected here as you were in the city." Usagi did not say anything for a moment. She was clearly torn between her fear of this man and her desire to be anywhere else. But she had to admit, nobody would touch her in this warehouse, with over a hundred men and women armed and ready to kill.

"Thank you," she whispered weakly, not looking the man in the eye. He nodded before turning and starting towards the stairs.

"And Rock…get comfortable, yeah? It's going to be a long night, trust me."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5: Not Even Close

"Well, I called Sawyer," Wolf told the other two as he emerged from his bedroom. He was now wearing his usual attire after coming back from New York. "She's free around five. We can bring the bodies then." The two Dead Men they had killed were propped up against the far wall. While Hotel Moscow would probably still pay out for their heads, Wolf did not much care about that right now. They had more pressing matters.

The taking of Usagi had been wildly unexpected. A taxi cab full of Dead Men ready to go to war drove up out of nowhere. The firefight that followed all but destroyed Wolf's apartment. And despite their best efforts, the three survivors still got away with Usagi. That angered Wolf more than he showed. But he took comfort in the fact that she would not be harmed, or so he hoped. While Hunter and Rahul certainly had no initial plans to hurt the girl, the leader of the Dead Men was violently unpredictable. In a moment of rage, he may well decide to hurt Usagi as punishment for both her act of thievery against him and the death of Kepler.

That reminded Wolf about these alleged documents that Usagi had apparently stolen. Her duffle bags were all she brought with her. If the documents were anywhere, they were in said bags. And the Dead Men managed to make off with both. It was both a pity and a blessing that Hunter was no longer content to leave the city now that he had what he came for. While it was a good thing Usagi was still in Roanapur, the Dead Men would also remain and continue their war with the ruling factions. As if Usagi's kidnapping hadn't been bad enough, Andromeda saw fit to take the opportunity to escape. While the invaders had been searching Wolf's room for Usagi's belongings, the assassin freed herself from her bonds and fled the apartment during the commotion. They had not seen her since. That would have to be dealt with at some point. She was formidable out there on her own, untamed and left to her own devices. Chang and Balalaika were instantly in more danger. "How are you two?"

"No wounds," Lucille said, looking Roberta over to make sure she was alright. While the maid certainly held her own during that firefight, she was also currently the weakest of the three. Her wound coupled with the physical strain of hunting Black Bear made her vulnerable. It would be a few days before she was back to normal. For that reason, Wolf and Lucille saw fit to give her their full attention anytime anything happened in case she came to harm, much to her chagrin. "We're alright. What the fuck happened there?"

"I have no idea," Wolf admitted, reloading his Desert Eagle in case more Dead Men came back to finish the job. But that was unlikely. To his knowledge, all they wanted was Usagi. "Those fuckers came out of nowhere. I should have expected this, I suppose. They've known where I live for a while."

"They have?" Roberta asked, slight annoyance in her voice. Wolf couldn't deny that he probably should have told her that from the get go.

"Yeah, her father came to see me," he explained. "Probably had a group watch the place ever since. I assumed they were too scared to attack because Lucille was always here. But they just showed us how big their balls are here today." He sighed and rubbed his eyes. "Fuck it. How did this happen?"

"We got two of them," Lucille reminded him. "That's not bad going. They're just lucky they made it out in one piece."

"That's what bothers-" He trailed off immediately and darted for the door, taking cover just beside it. "Someone's outside. Guns at the ready." It was hardly one of the Dead Men, it was doubtful they would be back so soon. Besides, it looked like there was only one person out there. But they couldn't be careless. Wolf opened the door as soon as this stranger came into view and grabbed them, throwing them inside and shutting the door again. When he turned to see who it was, he pointed his Desert Eagle at the man's face. It took him a second to react. "Rahul?!"

Surprised, I take it?" he asked, though there was no smile on his face. "Do you mind?" He gestured to the three guns pointed squarely at his head. They lowered their weapons, though Wolf refused to holster his.

"So, what the fuck do you want? I assume you know they got your daughter?"

"Yes, I just saw her," he told the assassin as he came to his feet. "I don't really want her near Hunter, but I couldn't exactly tell the men not to go through with the mission either. But it's done. All I can do now is try and undo some of the damage Hunter has caused." That took them aback.

"Wait…what are you saying?"

"I'm saying I want to help," Rahul said firmly. "I want to stop Hunter. This has gone on too long, Wolf. My daughter needs safety. She needs a real life outside of what I've given her. And…I'm sick of answering to Hunter. I just regret it took the assault of my daughter to make me see how far gone he is. But I'm ready. If this is what it takes to get my life back, to help me take care of Usagi…then I'm ready to take the fight to Hunter." Wolf furrowed his brow as he considered that. It was odd that Rahul had only come now. Then again, even when he came to the apartment the first time, he did not seem overly sinister or aggressive. All he wanted at the time was Usagi. Perhaps he genuinely wanted to help topple Hunter. Wolf holstered his weapon and walked past the man towards the sink.

"About fucking time you manned up," he growled, pouring Rahul a glass of water and setting it down on the counter. "I'm not sure your help is gonna be welcomed. Balalaika already has someone working for her. Augustus Kells, that name ring any bells?"

"Kells?!" Rahul asked, clear shock on his face. "He's in the city? That's unexpected."

"Well, the stars didn't fucking align to bring him here," Wolf went on. "We were on a job to bring him. Now he's helping Balalaika."

"Then…you will not accept my help?" Wolf sighed as he sifted through his thoughts. Hotel Moscow and the Triad would certainly have no use for Rahul. In actuality, they may well just execute him due to his association with the Dead Men. The only reason Kells was alive was because he had valuable information.

"If you want to help, maybe we can accommodate you," Lucille told him. "After all, we could use all the allies we can get." Rahul pointed to her and smiled, then looked back to Wolf.

"Yes, good idea. I like her. Lucille, isn't it?" the Englishwoman frowned.

"Yes, actually. How did you know?"

"Oh, well…that brings me onto the other reason I'm here," Rahul went on, clearly having forgotten to mention this earlier. "They have your man. Okajima. They took him earlier."

"They took Rock?!" Wolf asked loudly. That was something Rahul should have lead with. "We could have done with that information first."

"Where are they staying?" Roberta asked, then. If they could find out where it was the Dead Men were hiding, it would give them a serious advantage. They might be able to end this war before it truly began.

"A warehouse," the Chinese man told them. "Outside of town. Used to belong to…well, you." He gestured to Lucille. She became flustered at that, considering two of the three others had been on their knees at her mercy outside that warehouse not too long ago. "If you are the soldier, that is. Rock mentioned you."

"Did he, now?" she asked, shooting a judgemental glance at Wolf.

"So what do you say?" Rahul asked Wolf. "Will you accept my help? If not for me, for my daughter. You of all people know her safety is my priority. The ruling factions do not even need to know, I would be your enforcer only."

"I'm keeping the existence of a few people to myself," Wolf remarked, returning Lucille's judgemental glance. "But, yeah…this sounds doable. Alright. I'm going to meet with the others at the Yellowflag. Until I get back, you'll stay here. These two lovely ladies will keep an eye on you." That seemed like a bit of a risky move. Lagoon Company would not take too kindly to the idea of working with Rahul. But considering he could point Balalaika's forces to Hunter's location, they didn't exactly have a choice. That, and they had nothing to lose from accepting his help. The more allies they had against the Dead Men, the better. "Lucille, you think you can get onto Dutch? Tell him what happened. And tell them to be at the pub tonight."

"Will do," she said, moving off to the side and reaching for her phone.

"Is Rock okay?" Wolf asked, then.

"He is. Hunter does not want to hurt him. Actually, you two are at the top of his shit list right now."

"We are?" Roberta asked, surprised.

"Yes. You are the one who killed Max, aren't you? And you've pissed him off to no end, Wolf. Hunter is not a forgiving man."

"Well, it's a good thing we have you helping us, then."

"Agreed," Rahul told him. "Hunter has fancied himself a king for long enough. As soon as he is dealt with, Usagi and I can finally start to think about having a life again." Wolf nodded. Despite the distaste he had for her father, Usagi's safety and welfare were of the utmost importance to him. If working with her father would ensure she would be okay, the assassin would swallow his pride. Lucille shut off her phone and joined them again.

"Well, can't say they were too pleased about Rock's current predicament," she began. "But you'll see them at the Yellowflag tonight. At least there's that. But we should probably think about using Rahul's information, Wolf. As soon as Balalaika learns where Hunter is, she'll have a fucking military platoon sent straight there to wipe the Dead Men out."

"I know," the assassin told her. "I just want to get everything out on the table. A lot has happened since I got back from New York. And it's only been a fucking day. Less, maybe. As soon as we have everything squared away, we can get a move on. I just want to run through everything with the guys."

"I understand that," Lucille told him. She was right, though. Time wasn't exactly a luxury they had, especially if Hunter lost his temper and decided Rock would serve as a suitable punching bag. But there was a lot of new information to sift through, that much was obvious. Not only had Rock and Usagi both been taken, but Rahul likely had even more information to add on to that which Kells had already given Balalaika. It almost seemed like they might have the upper hand against Hunter. He had nowhere to hide. Once they spoke with the city's leaders and put a plan into place, Hunter was dead.

"You think we can trust him?" Lucille asked once Rahul had gone to the bathroom.

"He seems truly willing to assist us," Roberta said. "Perhaps he really does wish to see Hunter fall."

"I think he's alright," Wolf agreed. "He has Usagi's interests at heart. And he seems like he genuinely wants to be rid of Hunter as his boss. I can't imagine he's fun to work for."

"And if he's not okay?" Lucille asked. "If he's playing us?" Wolf considered that for a few seconds before looking Lucille dead in the eye.

"Then we kill him," he told her. "We make him regret stepping through that door."


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6: Rocky Road

Revy snatched up her glass of rum from the bar and went to the round table near the door of the Yellowflag. Lagoon Company were restless. But they needed to meet with Wolf. They had no other options right now. According to Balalaika, the meeting with Kells had gone well. His information had been useful and she intended to act on it immediately. But they still did not know where Rock was. According to Lucille's call earlier today, the assassin may be able to change that. If he could tell them where it was Rock was being kept, Revy would more than likely go there immediately herself, despite insistence from others that Hotel Moscow could handle it.

"Did Balalaika tell you anything more?" Benny asked Dutch as he returned from outside.

"Nothing we don't already know," he replied. "But she did say the Dead Men might not be in the city after all. If that's the case, Rock isn't in Roanapur right now." That was a bit discouraging. Still, if anyone could sort out this mess it was Hotel Moscow. Even now, they had constant patrols going through the city for any sign of the Dead Men. It was unfortunate that they hadn't spotted Rock being taken.

"Where the fuck is he, already?!" Revy asked impatiently. If Wolf's information was as vital as it sounded, they were all eager to speak with him. As fashionably late as ever, the assassin strode through the doors a few minutes later, taking a seat with Lagoon.

"Glad you all came," he told them, removing his sunglasses.

"Lucille said you might be able to tell us what's going on," Dutch began. "You have a location on Rock?"

"Yeah, I think so," Wolf said. "It's been one hell of a day, actually. They took Usagi."

"On the same day as Rock?" Benny asked. "That can't be good."

"I didn't think so either, but then her father came to see me. Turns out he isn't the biggest fan of Hunter, at least not after what Black Bear did. He offered to help. Told me where the Dead Men are hiding."

"Well, spill it, Wolfy," Revy grumbled. She was more eager than any of them to get Rock back, though perhaps a bit annoyed that he managed to get kidnapped in the first place.

"Lucille's warehouse," the assassin told them. "Just outside of town. Didn't think we'd be heading back there anytime soon."

"How appropriate," Dutch half joked. "You speak to Balalaika yet?"

"I will," Wolf assured them. "First thing tomorrow. If she can send a group of her people out there, the Dead Men are…well, dead men. They won't stand a chance."

"Why bother?!" Revy asked, knocking back the last of her rum and cocking one of her Cutlasses. "We could wipe those fuckers out tonight. Wouldn't take us ten minutes."

"Relax, Calamity Jane," Wolf told her. "Rahul tells me Hunter isn't going to hurt Rock. That, and the Dead Men have a hell of a lot more people than we thought." That seemed to get the full attention of the others. Considering they assumed Hunter had a sizeable force, to think they had underestimated the amount of people working for him was troubling.

"Is that so?" Dutch asked curiously. Their numbers weren't so much a problem as a nuisance, considering the sprawling enormity of Hotel Moscow and the Triad. Combined, they had the manpower and resources to topple a small country if they so pleased. What gave Hunter the advantage was his stealth and the fact that they didn't know where he was, up until tonight, at least.

"Yeah. According to Rahul, he has around a hundred and fifty people in the city right now. Give or take." That was disconcerting. With that many people, Hunter could do some serious damage, even in a face-to-face confrontation with his enemies. What was worse, a large chunk of those people were presumably scattered throughout the city and instructed to lie in wait until the time came to launch an all-out assault. They needed to act fast if they were going to halt the spread of the Dead Men.

"Sounds like Balalaika's going to have her hands full," Dutch mused. "She might have finally met her match."

"A good old fashioned gang war," Wolf proclaimed dramatically. "Makes you feel at home, doesn't it?"

"So you want us to just sit around and wait for Sis to sort this out?!" Revy asked, predictably discontent to remain idle while Rock was in the hands of the enemy.

"Relax, Revy," Dutch scolded her. "Rock's a smart kid. There ain't no way he's going to let them lay a finger on him, even if they were going to hurt him. Besides, if we show up there and get our heads blown off, Balalaika isn't going to be too happy we made a move without consulting her first. I'm sure Rock can manage out there until tomorrow." There was no arguing with that. Balalaika was clear on several occasions that she intended to sort this mess out herself. If they held the information from her and wiped out the Dead Men themselves, she would be irrevocably angry. They had no desire to piss her off.

None of them had even noticed the door of the Yellowflag open as seven men entered and went straight towards the bar. When the man in front started speaking, Wolf immediately turned around. He was a stocky man of average height with snow white hair and a bushy beard. He was wearing a full grey suit with a black turtleneck beneath his blazer. Black gloves covered his hands and he held a wooden shillelagh. Considering he clearly needed no help walking, it was safe to say the club was more of a weapon than anything else. When he opened his mouth, his accent was rugged and coarse, but similar to Wolf's or Kepler's.

"Bartender, come here to me," he squawked. Bao looked up from the glass he was cleaning, bewildered. The six other men all wore denim jeans, white shirts, grey jumpers with the sleeves rolled up and brown flat caps. There was a different type of handgun holstered at the waist of each one, but none of them spoke or even made any significant movements. They all just stood silent and sentinel with their arms crossed. "I'm looking for information, yeah? And don't give me any shite when I ask. You know a fella named Max Kepler?" Bao was at a loss for words for a few seconds. He wasn't necessarily afraid seeing as these men did not appear overtly aggressive.

"Friends of yours, Wolf?" Dutch asked after a few moments of silence.

"You'd think," Wolf told him. "Can't say I recognise any of them. But if they're looking for Max, they might be IRA. If that's the case, we need to call Balalaika right now."

"Kepler, huh?" Bao finally spoke up as he continued cleaning the glass in his hands. "Afraid you're too late, last I heard he was dead."

"I know he's dead," the man continued. "I want to see the sonofabitch that killed him." That was less than promising. If these men were here to take revenge for the death of their former comrade, they were in serious trouble. If Balalaika caught wind that a gang of terrorists were causing trouble in her city, she would be the last thing they would see.

"Can't say I know who it was," Bao went on before pointing to Lagoon Company and Wolf. "But they'd be your best bet."

"Bao, what the fuck?!" Revy screeched at him, gripping her Cutlasses tightly in case this went bad. The man turned and glanced at the four people for a few seconds before walking over to them. He came to a halt and motioned to his people to leave. They went to the bar and immediately began ordering beers.

"So, any of you want to point me to who it was that killed Kepler?"

"What's it to ya?" Wolf asked, resting the palm of his hand on his Desert Eagle.

"I have a bone to pick with them," the man explained. "And I want to buy them a drink." That was unexpected.

"You do?" Dutch asked, folding his arms and subtly gesturing to Revy to relax. If she was any more on edge, she would have opened fire by now.

"Yes I fucking do," the stranger continued. "Kepler's been the number one spot on my all-time shit list for years. As soon as I heard he bit the bullet, I came straight here. Wanted to meet the person who had balls big enough to take him on."

"Then…you're not IRA?" Wolf asked hopefully. If it was as simple as this man let on, they could all relax. To be honest, it boded well if the gang of Irishmen were enemies of Kepler's. That might mean they'd be open to lending their assistance against the Dead Men.

"Be fucked I'm not! I don't really go in for bombing little English children. I'll leave that to the republican boys. The name's Paddy Sullivan. But you can call me Four-Leaf."

"Do we have to?" Revy asked.

"Yes," he answered. There was a slight smirk on his face that faded all too quickly. While it would be well and good to let Four-Leaf and his crew hang around Roanapur for a while, their presence posed a problem considering the current state of affairs. Not only were they an unknown gang from a foreign country, they were armed and dangerous, a combination that all but branded them as an enemy of the ruling factions. The fact that they had their hands full with the Dead Men might be the one thing that saved Four-Leaf from annihilation. In that regard, an idea came to Wolf, one that might help them in the long run.

"So, you want to meet the person who took Kepler out?" Wolf asked. "I can take you to them."

"Is that so?"

"Yeah. But the situation isn't that simple. This city might look like easy pickings to you boys, but that's far from the truth. There are other people in control here, people who wouldn't take too kindly to you moving in on their turf."

"That makes sense," Four-Leaf agreed. "So, what, you want me to leave after meeting this person?"

"Not necessarily," Wolf told him. "I want you to meet the city's leaders first. They're a bit caught up at the moment, but if you can broker an alliance with them, it might benefit you both. All you'd have to do is lend them a hand when they need it. In return, they might let you and your boys go about your business in the city." That surprised Lagoon Company. It was unlikely that Hotel Moscow would tolerate some self-proclaimed Irish Mob, but the situation did not exactly give them the luxury of fighting them. The fact that they were preoccupied with fighting the Dead Men might be the only thing that would allow Four-Leaf to live. For that reason, Wolf's proposition was both highly risky and incredibly smart. If these men helped Hotel Moscow and the Triad fight the Dead Men, it would give the ruling factions a serious advantage, one that might spell doom for Hunter.

"Sounds like a plan," Four-Leaf said optimistically. "Alright, whoever you are. I'll be at the Ramsap Inn. Come find me tomorrow and I'll meet with these people." With that, he whistled to his people. They followed him out the door.

"What the fuck was that all about?" Revy asked. Not only was that unlike Wolf, but if this meeting went wrong, Four-Leaf and his crew might end up dead. Those would be casualties the assassin likely wouldn't be thrilled about.

"I just thought we could use the help," Wolf explained. They took that with a grain of salt. "We're not exactly guaranteed to win against Hunter, are we? The more people we can get on our side, the better." A short silence followed then. "Hell, maybe I just didn't want to see my fellow boys in green get their intestines torn out by Balalaika for being in her city. Might as well give them a chance to get on her good side, right?"


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7: Pieces In Place

"Where the fuck have you been?" Wolf asked as Revy strode up to his apartment. "Four-Leaf is meeting Balalaika in like five minutes."

"Fucking relax, would ya?!" Revy snapped back at him. "I think you might want to have a chat to the girl's father."

"Why?"

"I took a trip out to the warehouse last night." Wolf didn't look too pleased at that. Not only had Revy put herself in unnecessary danger, which was clearly a point of distress to the assassin, but she had jeopardised their relationship with Hotel Moscow. But it was done now.

"What were you thinking, Revy?"

"I came back, didn't I?" she retorted. "Anyway, place was fucking empty. Not a single soul in sight."

"You're shitting me," Wolf growled. "Rahul told me the bulk of the Dead Men were hiding out there."

"Yeah, well, looks like he fucked us."

"Lovely. Anyway, we don't have time for this now, we can deal with it later. If I don't get Four-Leaf to this meeting on time, I'll have him and Balalaika breathing down my neck." He motioned for Revy to get into the car. As soon as they picked up Four-Leaf, they headed straight to Balalaika's office. She had agreed to the meeting over a phone call with Wolf earlier this morning, during which he also informed her of the warehouse. It was a wonder her people hadn't crossed paths with Revy. For that, they were grateful. Boris escorted them inside.

"Ah, Four-Leaf, I take it?" the Russian hummed as the three of them entered her office. Boris left the room then as the Irish mob boss took a seat.

"My pleasure, Miss Balalaika," he told her. "I'm glad you agreed to this meeting."

"Well, I thought it only prudent to be civil," she told him. "Wolf assured me it would be worthwhile."

"Wolf, that what he calls himself?" Four-Leaf joked. He was in no position to poke fun at people's names, the assassin thought. "Anyway, let's get to business. I was told there was a situation here. I came looking for a man by the name of Max Kepler but I was told he was already dead. That lead me to our assassin friend behind us."

"Ah, yes," Balalaika began. "I've been told of Kepler and his demise at the hands of an…old foe." Her glance shot to Wolf momentarily as she said that. Chang hadn't kept quiet about Roberta, then. That would more than likely come back to bite them in the ass at some point. "But that's beside the point. Your man Kepler was under the employment of a man called Hunter Woods. He's a crime lord from Hong Kong in charge of an organisation he has aptly named the Dead Men. Not long ago they saw fit to make their home here. Now, we're struggling to be rid of these gangsters." Four-Leaf whistled when he heard that.

"Sounds like quite the pickle you're in," he jested. "And it sounds like you might need all the help you can get."

"Oh, I wouldn't say that," Balalaika disagreed, a slight edge to her voice. "But I see what you're getting at. What is it you can offer us that we don't already have?"

"Well, not to blow smoke up my own arse, but I've been at this a long time. My people have been working for me for almost ten years now. I have experience working in the criminal underworld. In that regard, I'd be confident enough to say I have knowledge and resources some of your allies would lack. If this Hunter is as dangerous as he sounds, you need as many like-minded people on your side if you're going to stop him."

"That's a fair point," Balalaika told him. "How many people are there in your employment?" That was a dodgy question. While Balalaika likely meant no harm towards the Irish Mob, to inquire about the numbers of another organisation was to imply you posed a threat to them. But Four-Leaf didn't exactly have a choice here. This was Balalaika's city, for the most part, and her word was law regarding this situation with the Dead Men.

"In the city right now, I have ten men ready to fight," Four-Leaf started, cleverly avoiding the question by answering a similar one that hadn't been asked. "But I can have twenty more people here in less than three days. They all have experience fighting and they'll bring firepower with them."

"And what do you get out of this?" Balalaika asked him pointedly. "What is it you want in return?"

"Not much, though you may feel differently. Where I come from, crime is something that's hindered daily and staying in this business gets harder and harder the more you do it. But I've managed to survive despite interference from others. Roanapur…that's a different story. Here, I could really do something great. My people could thrive here. And we'd help the place out in the process."

"You want to operate here." That was a tall order, but one that Balalaika may see fit to agree to given the circumstances. Not only was she not prepared, physically or otherwise, to take on Four-Leaf, his presence in the city may well prove to be beneficial. The other criminals and cartels would not take kindly to his sudden appearance, but that was for them to sort out themselves. Things were beginning to look up.

"Precisely."

"Alright, Four-Leaf," Balalaika said promisingly. "Call for your people. Have them come here. And when the time comes, put me in charge of them. Then we'll see if they can earn their place in this city."

"Capital!" Four-Leaf exclaimed, coming to his feet and bowing dramatically to Balalaika. He certainly knew how to kiss ass. "You've made a fine move here today. You won't regret it, I promise you." Without another word, he turned, snatched up his shillelagh and left the office. Wolf and Revy started after him before Balalaika called for them.

"Stay a moment, Wolf." With one concerned glance at Revy, the gunslinger left as the assassin retreated back inside and took a seat. "Your information lead us to the warehouse outside of town. It's not somewhere I was anxious to revisit, but nevertheless, I made my way out there once my team assured me it was safe. The Dead Men weren't there, but it certainly looks like they might have been at some point."

"Yeah, Rahul was adamant they'd be there," Wolf told her in some weak attempt to defend himself. It wasn't exactly his fault, but he was the one essentially harbouring Rahul, an enemy of Hotel Moscow. They hadn't come to kill him yet, but Balalaika could barely hide her judgement at the fact that the assassin allowed the man to live. "I'll have a talk with him when I get back."

"His information wasn't necessarily wrong," Balalaika suggested. "It just looks like Hunter was one step ahead. But I'd say Rahul's usefulness has run its course, wouldn't you?" Wolf did not answer. He did not want to kill Rahul. As much as he probably should have, he had no desire to do so. But Balalaika clearly had no intention of letting this go. "Look, I'm sure it must seem harmless to let him live. But he is a member of the Dead Men, no matter what he claims. A connection to Hunter as strong as his is not so easily severed. I trust you'll do the right thing." With that, Wolf rose and left the office. As if he wasn't on edge enough, that conversation had him spooked. He hopped into his car and started the engine.

"That went better than I expected," Four-Leaf told them from the back seat. "That Balalaika is one scary woman."

"You said it," Revy concurred. "Where to now?"

"You still want to meet Max's killer?" Wolf asked. He was sure the sudden appearance of Four-Leaf would come as a surprise to Roberta, but if the man wanted to meet her, Wolf would oblige. They had time to spare.

"Absolutely," Four-Leaf told him. "Can't say I'm too pleased this fucker got to Kepler before my people, but I'm glad he's dead nonetheless. I think that calls for a meeting. Might buy them a drink next time they're at the bar." They pulled up outside Wolf's apartment. The assassin and Four-Leaf headed on inside, Revy opting to wait in the car instead.

"How'd the meeting go?" Lucille asked as the assassin entered. Upon noticing Four-Leaf, she raised her eyebrows. "Hello, random stranger."

"This is Four-Leaf," Wolf explained. The mob boss stepped forward and extended his free hand.

"Pleased to meet you," he said as Lucille took his hand. "You're the one who took out Kepler?"

"No, that'd be Roberta," Wolf corrected him, pointing to the maid. She stepped forward apprehensively, taking the Irishman's hand politely.

"Well, that's even better," Four-Leaf said giddily. "You took out one of the most dangerous bastards from my home turf and you've only got one arm? That's one hell of a feat, missy."

"Charmed," Roberta said, looking briefly bewildered. "What was he to you?"

"An annoyance," Four-Leaf explained. "My people had run ins with the IRA on several occasions. Kepler was usually at the forefront of the conflict. He took out a lot of my people. Even after he left the republicans, he still fucked with my operations on a few different occasions. He fell off the face of the Earth a while ago. I assume that's when he met this Hunter fella. As soon as I got wind of his death, I came here. You're a hell of a woman, Roberta." Rahul emerged from one of the other rooms, then. He offered a smile at Wolf who did not reciprocate.

"Come here for a second, Rahul," the assassin said. Confused, Rahul did as he was told, walking over to the assassin and waiting patiently. Without warning, Wolf grabbed the man's throat and pinned him against the wall. The others immediately began shouting in protest. "What the _fuck_ do you think you're playing at?! Did Hunter send you out here to spy on us?! Are you feeding them information?! Spit it out, you fuckhead!" Rahul clutched spastically at his throat as he struggled to breathe.

"Wolf, ease up!" Lucille commanded him. The assassin did so, albeit reluctantly.

"I…I don't know what you mean," Rahul wheezed as he fell to his knees. "I don't understand…"

"Hunter wasn't at the warehouse."

"What?!" Lucille asked.

"He wasn't fucking there. None of them were. Balalaika sent a team out there this morning. Place was empty."

"He was there," Rahul claimed.

"You deaf, grandpa?!" Wolf spat.

"He was there!" Rahul insisted as he clambered to his feet. "Just yesterday. I swear it on my daughter's life. If he's gone, he must have just left last night." They were all silent for a few moments as they processed this. Rahul was a close associate of Hunter's. His absence would not go unnoticed, however brief. Wolf supposed it made sense that as soon as he realised Rahul wasn't coming back, he would have assumed the worst and moved his people to a safe location. Perhaps he should have given Balalaika the information earlier.

"Nice group you have here," Four-Leaf joked. "Situation is a bit more fucked than Balalaika let on, I take it?"

"You could say that," Lucille told him. "It's just been a long two weeks. We're all a bit high strung. Let's all just relax and clear our heads."

"That's not a bad idea," Four-Leaf agreed. "What was your name, darling?"

"Lucille," she told him, an expression of amusement on her face at the fact that anyone called her 'darling.'

"She's a smart one, Wolf," Four-Leaf said. "And not bad to look at, either, if it's not too bold to say."

"Alright, we have a lot of work to do," Wolf interrupted them abruptly. "I'll take Revy and Four-Leaf home. Then I'm heading out."

"You are?" Roberta asked. As far as they knew, there was nothing else to be done until Balalaika or Chang contacted them. But Wolf clearly had other plans.

"Yeah," he told them. "I'm going after Andromeda. She's still out there. And I think I might be able to turn her over to our side."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8: The Mad Dog

As soon as Usagi and Rock were ushered into the room with Hunter, his people left them alone. The room they were in had a spectacular view of the city below.

"Damn good thing we moved out of that warehouse when we did," Hunter droned as he sat himself down and put his feet up on the table. He held a portfolio in one hand, though he hadn't opened it. "According to my people, Balalaika had her soldiers do a sweep of the place an hour ago."

"Where are we?" Rock asked. He and Usagi stood by the door, close to one another. Both of them were far too afraid and uncertain to go anywhere near Hunter. But he would not harm them. As treacherous and unpredictable as he was, he seemed genuine when he told them they were safe from his wrath.

"This whole building once belonged to another criminal organisation," the man in black began, looking out the window at the streets below. "They cleared out of here a few days ago. The death of their leader left them a bit lost. Now, most of them have left the country. The rest are either getting drunk at the local bar or trying their best to appeal to the better nature of Chang and Balalaika. That's not gonna happen."

"The Formation lived here?" Rock deduced.

"Right you are, kiddo," Hunter answered. It felt wrong that the man who killed Ulysses was now lounging around in the crime lord's former home. It was like one final defilement of the Formation and everything they stood for. "Shit, Rock. Lighten up. Take a seat, have a drink." The Japanese man was hesitant, but he took a seat across from Hunter then. It seemed like the man had a lot more to say. He was building up to something, Rock just didn't know what. One of the Dead Men entered the room then and bowed.

"Boss, we made the call," he informed his leader, standing up straight again. "She'll be here within the next few days."

"Of course she will," Hunter said mournfully. "It ain't like her to pass up an opportunity to cause some chaos. Thank you, Hendrickson." The man nodded obediently before leaving the room. "I hoped to avoid this. But I don't have many more options, do I? Rahul's fucking gone, Max is dead, Andromeda is AWOL…" He was speaking more to himself than anyone else, but Rock was curious what he was talking about. It certainly did not sound pleasant.

"Who are you talking about?" That caught the man's attention. He cleared his throat before producing a cigar from inside his jacket and lighting it.

"Things have changed," he said. "I had everything prepared for this war. Black Bear was set to take out Ulysses. Well, we all know how that went. Andromeda was for the others, but I haven't heard shit from her since. She's reliable. I trust her. If she hasn't completed her job yet, it's because she's dead or one of your friends has taken her hostage. Whatever the situation, I've been forced into a position I really don't want to be in."

He sat forward in his seat and looked at Rock intently. There was anger in his eyes, and untapped potential for aggression. There was more going on than Rock knew. "Svetlana the Mad Dog. Russian. Very dangerous. She's done a few jobs for me in the past. See, since I started the Dead Men I've had an inner circle that I turn to for specific things. There was a time when it consisted of Rahul, Kepler, Augustus Kells…and Svetlana. They're all otherwise occupied now, though, right?" He smirked wickedly. Clearly, he knew about Kells. That was worrying. "They all had their specialities. Rahul was communication, Kepler was combat, Kells was arms procurement. And Svetlana was sheer, untapped, raw carnage. I did my best to keep her on a leash all these years, but when she gets the smell of blood, she's like a rabid dog. And I've been forced to call her in."

"Who is she?" Rock asked. "How can you be so sure she'll do what Bear and Andromeda failed to?"

"Oh, she'll get the job done, have no fear," Hunter assured him. "I've known her for years. She was in the Russian military for a while. Wasn't long after that she made it into the Spetsnaz. But she's a vicious bitch. She killed one of her own people, just clawed his fucking throat out right there in the barracks. Spent the next three years in a high security prison, the three after that at the mercy of the KGB. They tortured the shit out of her for no goddamn reason. She's been through a hell of a lot, let me tell you. And now she works for me. She's going to make your friends wish they never fucked with me. And if I'm honest, I might not be able to get her back on the leash when I'm done. So the city will be at her mercy."

"That's nuts!" Rock exploded. "Even you can't be so heartless as to unleash her on the city. You can fight your war and do as you please against the ruling factions, but to leave this woman here after you're done…it's plain evil!"

"Well, it ain't like I'm going to be hanging around," Hunter reminded the Japanese man. "She's not my fucking problem once Balalaika and Chang are dead. Only reason I called her in was because your people backed me into a corner. Svetlana isn't loyal to a flag or a country. She's a freelance psychopath, under the command of the highest bidder. But even the highest bidder doesn't fucking want her. Only reason she answers to me is because I busted her out of that KGB bunker they had her in. She trades blood for money and gets off on it as she tears your heart out of your chest." He flashed that toothy smile once more. "She's our best friend when she arrives."

This was incredibly worrying. They assumed that all of Hunter's resources had been spent, that all he had left was the group of miscellaneous Dead Men he brought with him. But to learn there was indeed another individual, one who sounded unimaginably dangerous, was a terrifying thought. Hunter threw the portfolio down on the table, then. "Open it," he instructed Rock. "I've been in contact with a few of my associates in the last few hours. From what I've heard, you'll be interested to see what's in there."

"The documents…"

"Yeah," Hunter confirmed, shooting a sly glance at Usagi, who stood meekly beside Rock's chair. "The documents. You've been hearing a lot about them. I thought about giving you a look, but it would have been pointless. Until I got off the phone a while ago, that is. The guy I spoke to mentioned you. He's an old friend. So go ahead. Take a peek."

Rock was becoming increasingly intrigued by these documents. They had always been an object of curiosity for him, but Hunter's words implied they had some deeper connection to Rock, or perhaps Lagoon Company. He cautiously took the portfolio in his hands and opened it, anticipating what was to come. There were about four or five different files, but the first one was what caught Rock's eye. There was a picture at the top, followed by blocks of text. The man in the picture had grey hair and was clean shaven. He was familiar to Rock, for all the wrong reasons.

"Kageyama…"

"That's right," Hunter said gleefully. It was Rock's old boss, a high ranking member of Asahi Industries. What was worse, the text below the picture contained information on the company's under-the-table dealings, some of which involved nuclear weaponry, just like the disc Rock possessed when he first encountered Lagoon Company. There were other transactions listed, too, implying Asahi were involved in even more shady dealings than what Rock knew.

"I don't believe this," Rock breathed. "He's…one of yours?!"

"Hah! No, not a chance," Hunter chuckled. "That slimy bastard wouldn't ever be one of my Dead Men. But he is an associate of mine. That file you're holding details my knowledge about his company's dealings. That's in thanks largely to a now deceased colleague of mine, who used to work at Asahi. I used this information against Kageyama. In the early days, when I was only starting out, it was an easy way to acquire weapons and equipment. I agreed to keep quiet about Kageyama's dodgy operations and he agreed to supply my people. I keep that file so he stays submissive."

"That's why you wanted the documents back so badly."

"Yes," Hunter answered. "Without them, Kageyama could just cut all ties with me and throw me to the wolves. I wasn't going to let that happen. Got off the phone with him not long ago. Your name seemed to interest him." This was almost too much to take. Rock knew his old boss was involved with some very questionable activities, but he never once considered that other parties knew this and used that knowledge to blackmail the company. No wonder Hunter rose so quickly to become one of the most powerful crime lords in the world. He was receiving a constant supply of state-of-the-art weapons and vehicles. Rock was about to leave the portfolio down when the second file caught his eye. There was a picture accompanying it, too. A picture of two children. "Now, I didn't say you could go looking through the rest, did I?"

"Why do you have this file?" Rock asked, tossing the Asahi Industries file aside and holding up the second one.

"You telling me you know those kids?" He knew them, alright. They had caused a lot of grief in the city when they arrived. Hansel and Gretel were disturbed individuals, the products of years of depravity and darkness. And Hunter apparently had some connection to them. "That ain't particularly any of your business, kid." The text was enough to tell him that Hunter's interest was not sinister. No, it was refreshingly good-natured. He had people searching for the twins.

After they began their first bout of rampage killings, the Dead Men apparently caught onto them. "I wasn't into _that_ , Rock," Hunter assured him. "But I knew what they were. I knew the depths they'd been subjected to. Like what happened to our Usagi, right? Only ten times fucking worse. I wanted to help them, to give them a home if I could. But I lost track of them. Last I heard, they met their end."

"So, what, you wanted to help them out in some attempt to make yourself feel good?!" Rock snapped. "You wanted to do your good deed to convince yourself you aren't all that bad?!" Hunter narrowed his eyes and frowned. This was still a sensitive subject for Rock, even after all this time. He was disgusted by what he had seen with the twins and the idea that Hunter felt the same way was almost unacceptable to him, due in no small part to the fact that he viewed Hunter as a despicable man.

"I wanted to tear those people apart," Hunter claimed, his voice deathly quiet. "I wanted to take those kids and give them a fucking life, something that they actually deserved. And I wanted to watch as all the paedophiles and rapists burned alive at my command." Rock wasn't sure how to react to that. The next two files were of no interest to him, detailing Hunter's dealings with other gangs and crime lords in Asia. But the last file again stopped him in his tracks. There were two small photos attached to it, two people he had come to know fairly well. A girl, young and innocent, in a schoolgirl's outfit. And a man, tall, tough and dangerous, a personality as sharp as the katana he held.

"And this?" Rock asked, his voice shaky as he laid the file down on the table and tapped on it. "You knew them…or at the very least, you wanted to."

"I met with members of the Washimine Clan once," Hunter explained. "That girl was someone they wanted to protect. They were small and weak in a world of violence. I offered to rise them up, to stamp out their enemies in Tokyo and put them at the top of the food chain. In return, they'd give me the man. Ginji. He would have made a nice addition to my crew." Hunter fell silent then as he looked out the window. He grew sullen as he remembered these people, these endeavours he hoped to see to the end. But he never got the chance. These people were wiped off the face of the Earth all too soon. At least that was something Rock and Hunter agreed on. "But they met their end in that city. They died. And…well, that's just how things are, I guess."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9: Kinship

Wolf reached for his MP5 hesitantly before deciding against it. He didn't exactly want to attract unwanted attention during this outing. Besides, Rahul had no weapon of his own. If the Dead Men came looking, he would need to be able to defend himself. No, all Wolf needed was his Desert Eagle. He held it in his hands as he ran his gloved fingers over the smooth surface of the weapon. It had been with him for some time now, a firearm he had procured and customised during his training under Sif. The thought brought back memories of his past, flickers of the person he had been when he first came to Roanapur.

"You've got one hell of a smile on your face," Lucille told him as she stripped her M14 and laid its pieces down on the table between the two killers. "Did I miss the joke?"

"You remember out in that village?" Wolf asked her out of the blue. "With Apollo?"

"How could I forget?" Lucille jested. "What about it?"

"It was rough after that. The next day, I told you I wanted to…I dunno, find myself or some shit. I wanted to come back after a long ass time of not being myself."

"Yeah, I remember," she told him. "You wanted to be like you were when you first came here. You felt like you were getting soft. Or something to that effect. Why are you thinking about that all of a sudden?"

"I think I'm back," he told her. "For a while, I was…different. I felt weak and pathetic, you know? Like everything I did, every bad decision I made, was a result of me going soft. But I feel like that's over now. I'm okay killing again, I'm okay with moving on with my life. I'm…not the exact same. I give a bit more of a shit. Like Usagi, right? The old me wouldn't have kept her safe. He would have thrown her out, or at least given her to someone else. I guess what I'm trying to say is…"

"You've evolved," Lucille suggested when she noticed he was at a loss for words. "You're that same ruthless assassin that came to this city, but there's a bit more to you, I suppose. You're not one of the walking dead anymore, you're alive. That's better. And you'll do whatever it takes to stay alive, to keep your allies alive." Wolf smiled, clearly satisfied with that analysis. It was difficult for him to figure out what was going on in his head. To talk it out with someone who wanted to listen was helpful.

"You should have been a psychiatrist," the assassin joked.

"With the amount of suicidal maniacs in this city, I might be one yet."

"And what about you?" Wolf asked her then. "After everything…you can't be the same, right? You started tying your hair back again. Does that…mean something?"

"Sort of," Lucille told him, adjusting her beret. "I spent a long time doing something similar to you, I guess. I tried to do whatever it took to desensitise myself to this world, all in an attempt to make the transition easier. But maybe there doesn't need to be a transition. I was happy with who I was before I came to this city. Even here, even under these circumstances…maybe there's no reason to change who I am." That was reassuring. Wolf never really voiced his concerns, but the thought that Lucille would lose herself and become one of the numerous, heartless, degenerate killers of Roanapur frightened him. She was better than that and he knew it.

"To be honest, there wasn't much changing to do," he said. "That woman who had us on our knees at gunpoint? She was more suited to this city than half the would-be killers and drug dealers that fancy themselves as real kingpins. She just had more principles and ideals. So, yeah…it's not such a bad thing that you don't change." They were both silent then. These thoughts had been building up inside both of them for some time, presumably. Ever since Lucille came here, both she and the assassin had been trying to make sense of their own moralities and changing personalities. It was good that they were finally finding some peace. Wolf holstered his Desert Eagle, then, and started towards the door. "Anyway, I'm going to go before we start braiding each other's hair."

"Funny. You sure you don't want me to come with?"

"Yeah, it's alright," Wolf told her. "I need you to stay here with Rahul. If the Dead Men come looking for him, you're his best hope."

"You don't trust your girlfriend?" Lucille snapped playfully. Wolf gave her a judgemental scowl.

"Just keep him alive, smartass," he quipped before leaving the apartment. Andromeda was his priority right now. While he didn't know exactly where she was, he knew what her ultimate goal was. It was simply a matter of choosing between Chang or Balalaika. The Triad's leader would likely be less protected, or at the very least the people guarding him wouldn't be as well trained as the soldiers of Hotel Moscow. Then again, Balalaika was far more integral to the war with Hunter. It was a fight she had instigated, and likely one she pitched to the other ruling factions at the time. As well as that, Hotel Moscow and their agents were clearly doing more to quell the Dead Men and they had more of a presence in the city right now, at least considering their constant patrols.

While Wolf genuinely had no desire to see Chang die, he had to go with the lesser of two evils here. He would go to Balalaika's office and keep watch. Besides, considering the power and resourcefulness of the ruling factions, it was entirely possible neither would die. And if Andromeda happened to be outside Balalaika's office at the same time, Wolf could act accordingly.

He darted across the road and made his way towards the Russians on foot. The journey took longer towards the end, when the assassin began using the alleys of Roanapur to get around. Not only would Andromeda likely use the same method, but it would allow Wolf to remain relatively undetected. He passed two or three different meetings between cartels and petty thugs, but none of them gave him any hassle. Either they knew better or the Desert Eagle at his side deterred them.

Balalaika's office was just up ahead, now. Two more turns and he would be looking right at it. Perhaps he should have called first. Balalaika could certainly do with the information that Andromeda was hunting for her right now. But she was the one who came across the information that Hunter contacted the contract killer. If she wasn't constantly on alert since that day, she was incredibly foolish.

Wolf came to a sudden halt as soon as he turned the corner into the last alley. The street was up ahead, as was Hotel Moscow. And, as brazen and dangerous as her file maintained, Andromeda stood there, a sniper rifle in her hands. She had her back turned to the alley. That would give Wolf the advantage. He could kill her. That would solve the problem much quicker than trying to talk to her and risking getting his head blown off. But he restrained himself. He couldn't pass up an opportunity to gain her loyalty. How he would do that, however, was still a mystery.

He took the Desert Eagle in his hands as slowly and silently as he could before advancing on the assassin, doing his best not to let his footfalls make any noise. Andromeda apparently hadn't noticed him yet. That was what worried him. She was always alert and very aware of her surroundings. Nevertheless, he pressed on. She hadn't raised the sniper rifle yet so she must have just been watching the place for any sign of Balalaika. In the shadows of the alley on this mild evening, she went unnoticed easily, even to Hotel Moscow. Wolf was only feet from her when she whipped around to face him without warning. He ducked in behind the dumpster to his left just in time to avoid the shot she left off. It was suppressed, but it still crunched into the ground violently.

"That you, Wolf?" she called. He heard her cock the rifle to eject the empty shell. "I only caught a glance at you. Can't say I'm too sure about who it was I saw. Different clothes, and all that."

"It's me," the assassin answered her, holding his gun steady. "You're a hard bitch to sneak up on."

"Just good at my job."

"I didn't shoot you," Wolf told her. "I could have just shot you and be done with it. Hotel Moscow would have paid me for my assistance and you'd be out of the picture. But I didn't."

"You probably should have," Andromeda warned him.

"Yeah. Maybe."

"So, what, you gonna wax lyrical about how Hunter is a bad man and I should see the light? Wake up, Wolf, there aren't any good men in our business. The side you choose is the side that pays you first. Maybe you forgot that while you've been living here."

"I get that Hunter is just a paying customer to you," Wolf began in a possibly futile attempt to change her mind. "But there's a lot more going on here than you realise. A lot of people are going to die if you help him. Not just Chang and Balalaika, but others who don't deserve it. If that hasn't at least swayed you a little, then let me say that there are people here who would pay more than the Dead Men. Guy named Four-Leaf, he just came into town. He could use you, and if you do your job well, there'd be a place for you with his crew."

"You sure have a talent for talking shit," Andromeda grumbled when he had finished talking. He laughed out loud when he heard that.

"I suppose so," he admitted. "Look, I know there's fuck all I can say that will persuade you. But there's more in it for you if you go against Hunter. He's a maniac and, let's face it, a bit of a dick. He'll give you your money and send you on your way like a cheap whore. If you take him out, or at least if you help us do that, there'll be a lot of people that will be grateful to you." She did not respond. It was unlikely that she was considering changing sides, but what Wolf said had at least distracted her. That was all he needed. "Ulysses was Wolf Pack, you know."

"He was?" Andromeda asked, genuine surprise and curiosity in her voice.

"Yeah. First time I came here, he hired me for a job. Told me I'd be going after a rival of his named Sif. Didn't know who that was then. After I found out, d'you know what he told me?" There was silence for a few seconds.

"What?"

"He told me he was in charge of Wolf Pack," Wolf went on. "He was Sif's boss. And she shot him in the head to pave the way for her takeover. Hunter killed Ulysses. If you aren't going to go against him for any other reason I mentioned, at least recognise that Ulysses had more of a right to live than the Dead Men, more of a connection to you. To Sif. There's a whole lot more going on here than you know."

Again, there was only silence from the rest of the alley as the female assassin thought on what had been said. Wolf heard her shifting her weight, then. That was his opportunity. He hopped up from behind cover and let off a shot, striking her in the left leg. She dropped her sniper rifle and fell to one knee, clutching the bleeding wound as she groaned in pain. Wolf rushed forward and slung the rifle over one shoulder as he pointed the Desert Eagle at Andromeda's head. She clawed at him in response, carving three parallel scratches across his right eye. It was a wonder he didn't accidentally shoot her.

"Argh! Shit! You _asshole!_ "

"Sorry about that," he told her with a slight smirk, wiping the blood from his new scars. "But let's face it, you weren't going to stop until Balalaika and Chang were dead. I didn't have a choice."

"Well…here I am, at your mercy," Andromeda told him, blood rushing from her wound to seep through her fingers. "Either kill me or leave me to bleed out. Those are your choices."

"I don't really want to do either to be honest, so you've got about a fifty/fifty chance of either one happening." Wolf didn't want to kill her. He may have to if she proved to be more trouble than she was worth, but right now, she was defenceless and unarmed. So he made a judgement call, grabbing her arm and putting it around his shoulders as he supported her. "Come one, let's get that wound cleaned. After that, we can kick the shit out of each other until the cows come home."


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter 10: Evolution

The door to Rock's room was slightly ajar as Revy returned home. It was a sad sight, considering the Japanese man was rarely away from home for extended periods of time. The longer he was in the possession of the Dead Men, the more likely he had been harmed. That angered Revy immensely. She had gone to the warehouse in the early hours of the morning with the hope that Rock would be there. She fully intended to wipe out any and all unknowns that she found there. But Hunter had moved his people just in time. That was likely as a result of Rahul leaving. As soon as Hunter noticed one of his most trusted allies had been away for too long, he must have been put on high alert right away, prompting him to move his people to another location. Now, the ruling factions were back to square one.

Hunter was out there somewhere, the city at his mercy. They needed to hurry if they were going to stop him. At this rate, he could have the entire of Roanapur razed to the ground and nobody would be able to stop him. Revy ventured into Rock's room, scanning the environment around her. Everything was neatly packed away after the return from New York. That was a stark contrast to Revy's room, which was never tidy no matter what the situation. Guns, bullets, pizza boxes and clothes littered her floor every hour of every day.

As the gentle breeze blew in through the open window, thoughts of New York came back to Revy. They were forcing themselves into her mind more and more now. They were not necessarily negative, like they had been leading up to the job. Now, she was more reflective about what had happened, namely her encounter with Wolf. That was a strange moment for her, one she would likely not forget any time soon. In true fashion, their relationship had not been strained outside of that moment either. As the two often did, they simply moved on and acted like nothing had happened. Revy was almost glad of that. Had the assassin decided to bring it up at any point, she might well have shot him. Or vice versa. Revy turned her back to Rock's bed and slowly let herself fall backwards to land on the soft material with a gentle thud.

The memory of her conversation with Rock came to her as she laid there in silence, breathing in and out. As complex a person as Revy was, this last year and a half had been an important period of growth for her. Not only was she almost relaxed as she lay on the bed, she was evolving. She was changing, almost for the better. After all was said and done, there was only so much a person could change, especially someone as broken and tortured as Revy. But it was inevitable, her attitude and personality had been altered. There was a time when she lied to herself, convinced herself she was content with her life in Roanapur. Then, shortly after Rock's appearance, she had been forced to step back and consider that. It was implied, however briefly and deep down inside her, that she was quite the opposite to how she believed, that she hated Roanapur and her life in it. And now, after everything she had been through, after the relationships she had forged, the friendships she had built, the emotional journeys she had been through…she was healing.

As mad as it was, she could almost find herself in a place where she was content with her life. It wasn't long ago she looked at Rock and saw everything she could never have. She was almost jealous of him, fuelling her dysfunctional relationship with him. But now, that was over. She was content now, happy to cope with this life she once hated and move on. It mightn't have seemed like much on the surface, or even to Revy herself, but it was a huge development for her. She was changing, and while her base personality and attitude would remain largely the same at face value, deep down inside her soul, the scars that once dictated her life, that dragged her down and made her hate herself, were finally closing up so that she could have happiness, in whatever form.

She breathed deeply as the cool breeze washed over her face. She closed her eyes, then, and just relaxed. She had been stressing about Rock more than anyone since he was taken. That hadn't exactly changed, but it was nice to finally find some time for herself. This whole ordeal had been particularly trying for her. As stubborn as she was, as much as she would deny it openly, she was unbelievably glad for Rock, for Wolf, for Dutch and Benny…they were as good as family in this city, all for different reasons. The sound of voices from the living room snapped Revy out of it. She shot up in the bed and grunted.

"Goddammit," she groaned. "Can't get a minute of peace." She hopped up off the bed and made her way out to the others. Balalaika was with them, Boris in tow as usual.

"Two-Hands, good to see you up," the Russian teased.

"Bite me, Sis," Revy snapped back as she fell onto the couch. "You got news?"

"I do," she said as she took a seat across from the rest of Lagoon Company.

"How're things coming with Hunter?" Dutch asked, cracking open a can of beer.

"Our allies are gathering," Balalaika began. "As well as the Triad's forces, Four-Leaf came through. His people arrived an hour ago. What's more, we've intercepted a few of their squads. Kells's information pulled through for us. They're using taxi cabs. A clever tactic, but one that won't work anymore."

"Now we just need to know where he is," Dutch surmised.

"Oh, believe me, Dutch, that's the least of our worries." Lagoon eyed one another apprehensively. "During this conflict, we backed Hunter into a corner we were sure he couldn't claw his way out of. In doing so, we made him desperate. On that note, it's come to our attention that he called in an old associate of his, one we really don't want in Roanapur."

"Weren't the two assassins his only resources outside the Dead Men?" Benny asked.

"Or so we thought," Balalaika told him. "Then again, if my information is correct, this particular 'resource' is apparently a member of Hunter's organisation. Svetlana Ivanov. She's one nasty piece of work. They call her the Mad Dog, and for good reason. Hunter freed her from the hands of the KGB and in doing so, bought her loyalty. To an extent. She's known to be wildly uncontrollable and unimaginably bloodthirsty. If she's released on the city, it will take more time and effort than what we have to stop her."

"And he's already sent for her?" Dutch asked. Balalaika smirked at him.

"You see our predicament," she went on. "We're working on tracking Hunter down right now, but he's catching onto us. Whenever we attempt to tail one of his taxis, they lead us aimlessly around the city, a tactic that always ends in a firefight."

"What do you need from us?" Revy asked, desperate for Balalaika to make a point soon.

"I want you all to be on guard," Balalaika told them. "When the time comes, I will call on you. But right now, we have nothing. Until we get a location on Hunter and his people, all we can do is wait and keep watch for Svetlana." The woman rose from her seat and started for the door. "The storm is coming, Dutch," she said quietly by the door. "Best be prepared when it arrives." With that, she and Boris left the apartment.

"Well, that was cheerful," Benny joked.

"Damn it," Dutch moaned. "Just another problem to worry about, I guess. I'm getting tired of waiting around."

"You're telling me," Revy concurred. "These fuckers been screwing us around for too damn long. We ought to just go out there and take 'em all out!"

"You know where Hunter is? Could do with that information," Dutch joked.

"If I did, you think I'd be sitting around here?"

"Nope. I think you'd be out there giving them hell."

"Fucking A!" Revy exclaimed as she came to her feet. As dangerous as this Svetlana sounded and as bad as it was that she was coming to Roanapur, the prospect of taking her on intrigued Revy. She hadn't had a good firefight since the steelyard with Kepler and his men. To tell the truth, she was itching to kill. It had been too long and she was getting restless. Not only that, but she desperately needed to blow off some steam. Taking out a mad Russian dog that Hunter let off the leash would help her do just that.

She was tempted to go outside and open fire at the first taxi she saw, but even she had the restraint and good sense not to. The rest of the day was long and boring. It was a waiting game now until Svetlana showed up, or until the location of the Dead Men was discovered. Until Balalaika or Chang called, Lagoon Company were useless. Again, the idea that Rock was at the mercy of the Dead Men made Revy restless. But she had to keep telling herself that Wolf was right, they had no interest in hurting the Japanese man.

"Can't wait to get this shit over with," Dutch complained as he fell onto the couch beside Revy. "The sooner Balalaika turns up any new information, the better."

"Yeah, good luck with that," Revy told him as she cleaned the barrel of her Cutlass. "Way I see it, they aren't gonna turn up shit. All we gotta do now is wait for this Russian bitch to show up. Then, it's go time."

"I'm surprised at you, Revy," Dutch told her. "You're staying pretty calm through this whole thing."

"Why the fuck wouldn't I be?" she asked, a little defensive.

"Well, if past experience is anything to go by, you'd have shot the apartment to pieces by now. Or Bao's bar, at least. That place hasn't seen a good firefight in too long."

"Not the only one," Revy croaked. "Times change, Dutch. Shit is different, now."

"Times change, yeah," Dutch agreed. "But you don't. Least you didn't used to."

"Jeez, when did you become Roanapur's shrink?!" Her voice wasn't angry, just deflective. Dutch just chuckled at her.

"Relax, Revy," he told her, patting her shoulder before rising. "Just thinking out loud." He retreated into his room, then. Dutch had been with Revy from the beginning. He was the one who took her in and essentially introduced her to the criminal life in Roanapur. He cared about his crew, as much as his actions and behaviour implied the opposite. Revy, in particular, was more important to him than he let on. The two of them shared a bond that was both unique and practically unbreakable.

Even through the worst of times, they never fell out, at least not the same way Revy seemed to fall out with everyone else. Her relationship with Rock was clearly dysfunctional, though not so volatile anymore. Her bond with Wolf was strong but so unpredictable that it was a wonder they hadn't tried to murder one another yet. And Benny had been nothing but an occasional annoyance to Revy, fodder for her jokes despite the fact that she was still glad of his company. But Dutch always managed to keep Revy on a leash no matter what. There was a faint knock on the door then, quiet but urgent. It was late, now. That instantly put Revy on alert. She took her Cutlasses in her hands and went to the door, opening it swiftly. Sawyer and Lotton stood there, almost looking like children dressed up for Halloween.

"Spooky?!" Revy asked, confused. "The fuck are you doing here?"

"It's Shenhua," the cleaner answered in her mechanical, robotic voice. "She's been taken."


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11: Piece By Piece

Andromeda's bloody hands stained the wood of the door as she stumbled into Wolf's apartment. Her wound had not been fatal, but it was still bleeding. They needed to bandage it soon. It would likely hinder Andromeda's progress even if she did decide to turn heel and join the ruling factions, but Wolf had no other choice. Nothing he said would have halted her completely back in the alley. It was either shoot her and bring her back or let her kill Balalaika. The others inside turned to see who had entered.

"You're bringing girls back a lot, Wolf," Lucille teased him. He rolled his eyes before setting Andromeda down on the couch. Rahul came forward, then, his eyes fixed on the wounded assassin. It must have been odd to see her here so soon after she had hired by the Dead Men.

"Rahul?!" she groaned exhaustively. "Don't tell me Wolf fucked you over too."

"Nothing so brash," Rahul assured her. "I came here of my own accord."

"You defected?"

"I suppose you could call it that. Serving Hunter was never something I was happy with. I just regret it took my daughter's pain to make me see it." Andromeda looked quite abashed, then, clearly having forgotten Rahul was Usagi's father. It was only natural that what happened to her fuelled the man's distaste for the Dead Men.

"So, what now?" Andromeda asked, turning her attention towards Wolf. "You got me here in on piece, or close enough. You still want me to change sides?" Lucille retrieved the bandages and saw to the assassin's wound at Wolf's behest.

"Yeah, I do," he told her. "You can't tell me I wasn't making some sort of sense out there. You really want to go through with this job?"

"Don't give a shit either way, really," Andromeda told him. "Or I didn't before you came after me, at least. Now? I'd be lying if I said I wasn't intrigued by you guys. And, let's face it, I ain't going anywhere right now, not with this leg. Thanks for that, by the way."

"Don't mention it," Wolf told her sarcastically.

"But I was still hired for this," she continued, ignoring him. "I have a job to do, I can't just walk away. You gotta understand that." Rahul made a slight noise then that suggested he had an idea or he was experiencing some sort of digestive discomfort. He stepped forward, suggesting it was the former.

"Actually, I might be able to help with that," he said. "For as long as I've been with the Dead Men, I've acted as Hunter's representative. He trusts me with contacting his associates, setting up meetings and organising his ventures."

"Are you saying-?!" Lucille began as she finished bandaging the assassin's leg.

"I'm the one who hired you, Andromeda," he reminded her. "Before you arrived here, Hunter gave me the fifty thousand dollars to give to you upon completion of your mission. Well…times have changed. You will still get paid, but…perhaps you could switch targets. What do you say?" The others were all raptly attentive as they waited for Andromeda to answer. Rahul's defection from the Dead Men was seeming far more beneficial than any of them initially thought.

"Is that so?" the female assassin asked, a smirk on her face. "That's true, I've never dealt personally with Hunter, at least not during my recruitment."

"You wouldn't be changing sides, technically," Wolf told her. "Rahul was the one who hired you in the first place, he's just pointing you at a different target now." It initially seemed like acquiring Andromeda's loyalty was an impossible feat, one that would never come to fruition. But now, things were looking up. Not only would she be far more likely to go along with this plan, but they would be taking away one of Hunter's most trusted and valuable assets. That seemed to be a recurring theme nowadays. They were essentially stripping his organisation down from within piece by piece. It wasn't the boldest or most obvious tactic, but it was working. Hunter was frightened. As much as he wanted to deny it, his enemies had cornered him and left him with fewer allies than he came to Roanapur with. And securing Andromeda's assistance would seriously hurt his efforts.

"You lot really think you can take Hunter on?" Andromeda asked, then. How naïve she was.

"Hell yeah, we can," Wolf told her. "We have him by the balls already. The two people he wanted you to take out have their forces at the ready and the Irish Mob just rolled into town with even more manpower. Not to mention the bounty hunters that will jump at the chance to tear him a new dickhole."

"Charming," Andromeda grunted derisively. "Sounds like a plan, though. Yeah, I'm in, then. As long as Rahul is here and he's paying me, I'll kill whoever you want." That was better than they could have hoped. While it was unlikely she would be able to get to Hunter, at least without being caught by Hotel Moscow or the Triad, they could still use her to pick off any of his people when the time came to take the fight to him proper.

"How's that leg?" Wolf asked. Andromeda shot him a disgruntled glare.

"Hurts like a motherfucker," she spat. They all halted at the sound of a phone going off.

"Hold that thought," Wolf told her, reaching into his pocket and answering his cell as he went to the door. "What's up?"

"You around, Wolfy?"Revy asked on the other side. It was late, now, the sun no longer in the sky and an air of danger and uncertainty sweeping in over Roanapur. Whatever she wanted, it couldn't have been good.

"Why, what's happening? Did you get yourself in shit already?"

"Not me," she told him. "You up for a little hunt? I got it on good authority that Shenhua has her ass in a pit of sharks right now."

"Rescue mission, huh? Yeah, I guess I have some time."

"Meet me at the old apartment blocks south of the Ramsap Inn. This gonna be fucking wild!" It almost surprised Wolf how excited she seemed to be at the prospect of going to help a friend in danger, but then he remembered who he was talking to. He retrieved his blade and strapped it to his back before heading back over to the door.

"I'm heading out," he told the others.

"Again?" Lucille asked, an expression of amusement and intrigue on her face. "You're hardly here anymore."

"Sorry, mom," he snapped. "I won't be long. Revy wants to go on a killing spree or something. Someone she knows needs help."

"The Dead Men?"

"Well, if it's not then this is a waste of time." He hurriedly left, then, and hopped into his car. He was not particularly close to Shenhua, nor had he met her that much. But if she had been taken, it must have been Hunter's people. She was one of the bounty hunters present when Balalaika placed the price on his head. For that reason, Hunter must have ordered her execution. Or at least, that was the only conclusion Wolf could come to. But it still seemed highly unorthodox. From what Revy said over the phone, it sounded like the Taiwanese assassin had been kidnapped much like Rock and Usagi, only under different circumstances. Something about that put Wolf on edge.

It seemed too unlike Hunter. If anything, he would have had Shenhua assassinated in the street to stop her from meddling in his affairs. But she was not dead, almost like she had been kept alive intentionally to lure her allies out. But there was no turning back now, especially with how intent Revy was about killing the people who took Shenhua. All Wolf could do now was accompany her. He pulled up outside the building where Revy waited, Sawyer and Lotton in tow. "We doing this?" the assassin asked as he exited the car and readied his Desert Eagle.

"Hell yeah, we are!" Revy told him, raising her Cutlasses and gesturing to them.

"So, what's the situation?" Wolf asked them as they headed on inside and slowly made their way through the corridor of the first floor.

"Spooky, you want to fill him in?"

"There was a break-in at the apartment," Sawyer began in her distorted voice. "When we went to check, Shenhua was gone."

"Must have cut herself," Revy whispered. "Blood trail led here." Again, that seemed like an intentional slip up. Whoever had taken the bounty hunter had left that trail to lead her allies here.

"Anyone else get the feeling we're being played?" Wolf asked aloud.

"I know what you mean!" Lotton exclaimed suddenly, extending his hand dramatically at the assassin. "There is a rotten stink to this night. There is no doubt a puppet master at work here, pulling the strings from the shadows!" They wall stopped dead as Wolf stared at Lotton, bewildered.

"That's one way to put it," he breathed, a look of confusion still on his face. He turned around, then, and they continued on. "Who brought the mad fucker?" he asked in a quieter voice.

"I get what you're saying, Wolfy," Revy said then, ignoring his question. "Seems too fucking easy, doesn't it? Keep your eyes open." It became apparent once they reached the next floor that there were numerous bloodstains across almost every surface and countless empty shell casings strewn across the floor. Something had gone down here at one point or another.

"What the fuck happened here?" Wolf asked, kicking aside a long-unused handgun and glancing at the dried blood on the wall.

"Bloodhound had herself a field day, that's what," Revy told him. "Her old Beaner pals from the F.A.R.C. came looking for her. Didn't end well for them." Clearly, the bodies had been cleared out long ago as only blood, empty shells and a few old guns remained.

"So this city was a mess even before I came here? That's reassuring."

"What, you thought Roanapur was a model home full of rainbows and unicorns before Wolf Pack? That's fucking hilarious." The thing that put them off most was the fact that there was no sound. They heard no voices or commotion coming from anywhere in the building. They just hoped Shenhua hadn't been slaughtered in here. Whoever took her may well have killed her and left a trail to make her allies think she was still alive. If that was the case, this person was going to pay big time. They apprehensively ascended the final flight of stairs to the last room in the building. The lighting was limited, but there must have been a lantern of some sort in there as they could spot some source of light.

The first thing that caught their eyes was a very large, very widespread bloodstain on the floor. It was accompanied by small, faint pieces of rotting flesh and bone stuck to the ground. As they proceeded into the room, they finally spotted Shenhua. She was tied to a steel chair and her head hung low. Clearly, she was not conscious. Revy rushed forward and holstered one of her Cutlasses, using her free hand to check for a pulse.

"She's still kicking," she told the others. "Goddammit, Chinglish, what the fuck happened to you?" Revy raised her head to get a better look at her. There were cuts and bruises all over her face and her left eye was blackened. Her weapons, too, were on the ground behind her, placed neatly alongside one another.

"Revy!" Wolf called, prompting her to look to the right. From the shadows just beyond the light of the lantern hanging from the ceiling, a woman came, her amber eyes visible even before she came from the darkness. Revy raised both her weapons as she prepared for a firefight. The woman wore black leather leggings, a pink shirt and fingerless gloves. There was a chain around her neck with a silver skull at the end, along with matching earrings. Her hair was a dark green colour, shoulder length at the back but swept up and backwards at the top. She smirked at the people before her, the nail gun in her hand pointed at them.

"Hi," she greeted them all too cheerfully, raising an eyebrow and scanning them with her narrow, hungry eyes. "I'm Svetlana. I've been waiting for this."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12: Mutuality

Rock gently tapped on the door to the room Usagi had been given. As cautious and untrusting as possible, the Dead Men had removed all phones and locked all windows so that their prisoners could not escape. As well as that, they had both been given separate rooms. They could still speak and wander about the top two floors of Ulysses's headquarters, but when Hunter told them it was lights out, they were confined to their assigned bedrooms. Rock hadn't even tried to escape since he had been brought here. Not only was he way too high up to break the window and jump outside, but any attempt to make his way to the bottom floor would be futile due to the eighty or so armed men and women that populated the building.

Rock opened the door of Usagi's room. She looked up from the book she was reading and offered him a smile. It was evening time, now. The sun had set not long ago and the only light came from the bedside lamp Usagi sat beside. Rock hadn't slept much last night. His mind had been troubled by the contents of the documents. Judging from the bags beneath Usagi's eyes, she hadn't had any more luck than him.

"Rokoro," she greeted him, setting aside the book and propping herself up on the bed, her legs crossed and her hands clasped neatly in front of her. "It's good to see you."

"How are you?" he asked her, eager to know how she was coping with current arrangements. When she last saw her father, he assured her that it would not be long until they could go home, that he would make sure she was safe. At the time, it sounded like he was simply referring to the fact that the Dead Men would win this war and finally return to Hong Kong. But Hunter seemed to believe the girl's father had turned traitor, seeing as how he was nowhere to be seen and he refused to answer his phone.

Rock had a suspicion that he would seek refuge at either Lagoon Company's apartment or Balalaika's office. Both of those scenarios would probably end with his death. For that reason, Rock hoped he had been smart enough to seek help elsewhere, perhaps with the Triad or Wolf. It was almost a given that Chang would be more merciful than Hotel Moscow. As much as he liked to believe he was ruthless and callous, he was perhaps one of the more understanding individuals in Roanapur. His tolerance of Lucille and Roberta proved that time and time again.

"As good as can be, considering," she answered. "I just hope this is all over by this time tomorrow." That was idealistic. As horrible a thought as it was, this conflict would likely go on for maybe another week, a day or two shorter than that if they were lucky.

"I'm not sure if that will be the case," Rock told her gently. "But it will be over soon. Hunter can't hold out forever."

"Are you sure?" Her voice and tone were more serious now. She knew the wrath of Hunter all too well, his frustrating talent for snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. If there was anyone on planet Earth who could topple the ruling factions, even when it seemed most unlikely, it was Hunter Woods. He proved that during his two weeks in Roanapur. But Rock had faith. He knew things, too, how unbelievably strong his allies were, how mercilessly dangerous the ruling factions could be when their patience and resolve were tested.

"I am," he told Usagi confidently. "I know this city, better than most. And that's quite the statement. The people here can do anything when they put their minds to it." He frowned as he fell deep into thought, reflecting on the past plights of Roanapur. "I didn't think so, once. When I first came here, I thought everyone was out for themselves. And…they are, to a degree. But when something comes along that threatens the people here, they always band together to keep order. The twins…they were the start. It was one of the only times I saw the ruling factions and the cartels really work together to take down a threat. And even the assassins, bounty hunters and murderers…they all rose up and tried their hands at killing the twins."

He couldn't help but laugh at how much things had changed since he stepped onto that pier that day, when he officially joined Lagoon Company. Back then, he saw the city for what it was. He saw darkness and hopelessness. After so long of trying to make a difference, he decided it wasn't worth it anymore, that Roanapur was beyond hope. He voiced such a thought to Revy at the Yellowflag after what happened to Usagi. But now…he was starting to realise how wrong he was. Roanapur was not perfect, but Rock failed to see the good in it, that spec of light, however small and insignificant. "After that, things changed. Permanently. And for a while, Chang and Balalaika have been running the city like King and Queen. It…it's unexpected…" Even Rock found it overwhelming that the goodness he searched for, the meaning and hope he thought forever absent, were right there all along. Sure, Roanapur was still a hive of evil and degradation at face value. But during times of torment, when situations called for unlikely alliances and friendships, Roanapur really went above and beyond. The thought pleased Rock greatly.

"You make it sound so easy," Usagi told him. "I hope you're right. If your people can succeed, I can finally return home with my father. We can finally start to make amends." Rock sat down on the bed in front of her.

"They will," he assured her. "Hunter is scary. He knows what he's doing and he's managed to remain hidden from Balalaika. But that's just what he's doing. Hiding. As soon as they find out where we are, he won't stand a chance." Usagi smiled and leaned forward slightly, relaxing her posture a bit.

"He's been in my life for so long," she exhaled deeply. "I still remember when he first came to Hong Kong. My father was always involved in the local crime. He was the head of a small gang, struggling to keep their territory. But Hunter? He just took over as soon as he showed. My father thought he was an enemy at first. But Hunter wiped out the rival gangs. All before taking charge. The rest didn't have a choice, really. They had to give in. He had money and a pack of mercenaries working for him. He could have burned the city to the ground if he wanted to." She closed her eyes and breathed long and hard. "It will be nice to return home without any of that, to see my dad get out of that business."

Rock thought on what Usagi had said. Hunter had come from America, that much was already known. He showed up in Hong Kong one day, wealthy and at the head of a gang of presumably well-trained mercenaries. That was no easy feat. Not only that, but it was unlikely Hunter was simply a regular citizen of America that decided one day he wanted to get into the criminal underworld of Hong Kong. No, if anything, he was already a criminal back home. Perhaps he was not a crime boss, but he certainly must have been involved with some of the local American gangs back home before using the money he earned to buy the loyalty of a mercenary group and try and make a name for himself elsewhere. That implied he needed to leave his home, either because the other gangs were too powerful and intolerant of newcomers, or because someone was after him.

Rock was inclined to think it was the latter. And he was starting to suspect that 'someone' was the United States Government. Hunter was clever, calculating and wealthy. Even the most prominent of crime bosses in America were rarely forced to leave the country for their own survival. Hunter must have done something incredibly foolish. Rock had an idea, one he was eager to put into action. He couldn't do anything about it right now, but if he could execute this plan perfectly, he would have Hunter right where he wanted him. Usagi squirmed on her bed, then, clearly noticing Rock's silence. "You're quiet, Rokoro," she told him quietly as she cautiously leaned in towards him. "Far too quiet…" Before he knew it, Usagi's lips were on his. He did not even have time to realise what was happening before the door to the room flew open. Rock and Usagi immediately pulled away from one another, startled. It was Hendrickson. He pointed to Rock.

"Boss wants to see you," he commanded. Flustered, Rock rose steadily from his bed and left the room without a word. Hendrickson escorted him to the suite where Hunter waited, standing by the window and surveying the city below. The door was shut behind Rock as the two men were left alone.

"Y-you wanted to see me?" Rock asked, walking forward slowly and coming to a stop a few feet from the crime lord.

"Yeah," Hunter grumbled. "Yeah, I did. This is one hell of a city, Rock. Despite the shit I'm in now, I was almost starting to like Roanapur before Balalaika decided to show me how long her dick was. After all of this is sorted out, maybe I'll stay a while. Might be nice to relax before we head home. But that's…not really why I asked you here." He turned to face Rock. "I got the vibe I made you uncomfortable last night, with the documents. You looked…spooked, I suppose you'd say. Or…irritated. For that, I apologise. But there's one thing I want to straighten out. When you looked through those files, you all but called me out. You said-to my _face-_ that I was only doing this or that to make myself feel good, to make out like I was a good person."

He took a step forward. That made Rock gulp as the suspense built in the room. "There isn't much I do that makes me uncomfortable, Rock. Hell, I've done some pretty un-fucking-believable things. Things people would call despicable, things that might seem evil or bad. But I've always had a reason. Despite what you might think, I am not a savage. I do not murder needlessly or put on pointless shows of violence just to show off. I do what I do to make a point, to keep my people and my operations alive and kicking. There's a method to what I do. And let me tell you, I'm pretty fucking sure Hotel Moscow have done some horrible things in their time. Only reason that doesn't get your panties in a twist is because you're on their side in this war." He turned back around, then, and resumed his surveillance of the streets below. Rock wasn't sure what to say for a few moments. He cleared his throat and took a few steps forward, falling in beside the crime lord.

"You're right," he said, much to Hunter's surprise. "This conflict is just a product of circumstance. Good and evil…they're ideas. Philosophies that become distorted the longer you expose yourself to them. You're no better or worse than the people I claim to stand for. It just it was it is, Hunter." The crime lord was seemingly speechless as he looked on at this young man. It was strange, the longer Rock spent in this building, the more he began to see Hunter's way of things. He bore no ill will towards the Dead Men beyond what he was expected to under the rules of engagement. The fact that they were a hostile organisation from another country sort of dictated that Rock oppose them, but aside from killing Ulysses, Hunter had done nothing that branded him as worse than Balalaika. They were very similar individuals. Rock and Hunter had built a mutual respect for one another.

"I'll be damned," Hunter breathed. "You're one hell of a kid, you know that? I know what I do puts you in a difficult position. Hell, Svetlana is out there right now taking the fight to this city. But after all of this is over, I won't forget what we've all been through. I'll do my best to make sure the transition is as easy for you and your people as possible. Can't be easy adjusting to a city without Chang and Balalaika…but the least I can do is help you guys get through it." Rock chuckled.

"Thanks. I appreciate that."


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: Ace In The Hole

"So you're the dumb Russian bitch Hunter called on," Revy growled as she held her Cutlasses steady. While Svetlana was clearly ill equipped for a firefight, something about her stopped the others from simply shooting her and getting on with it. It seemed too easy. No, there was much more to her than met the eye. She was extremely dangerous.

"You know this maniac?" Wolf asked, his Desert Eagle pointed squarely at the Russian's head.

"Yeah. Sis stopped by this morning, said Hunter called on some ex-military psycho to finish the job his assassins couldn't. Guess she's his last resort. Isn't that right, Little Miss Cunt-For –Brains?"

"Oh, Hunter," Svetlana mumbled. Her voice was almost girlish, deceptively smooth and calming. "He worries too much. I do wish he called on me sooner. If he had the sense to let me do my job, you all would have been dead a week ago. Hunter thinks I'm too uncontrollable. I like to think he's too tame."

"You got your fucking head screwed on backwards," Revy snapped. "You brought a nail gun to a gunfight. What are you gonna do, hang up some pretty pictures?" Without warning, Svetlana pointed the nail gun at Shenhua and fired. The steel projectile bit into the bounty hunter's leg with a sickening, meaty thud. She shot awake then, screaming in pain.

"Any of you move, the next one goes in her head," Svetlana warned. Shenhua gritted her teeth and spat out a concoction of blood and spittle.

"You better hope…I not get free…or I cut your pretty ass into quarters…"

"She's awake!" Svetlana enthused, disturbing glee in her voice. "How wonderful. You were out for a while there, dear. Glad you could join us for the big finale!"

"Only thing that's ending is your life," Wolf told her. "You really think you're enough to win this thing for the Dead Men?"

"Oh, I know it, love," she told him. "If I know Hunter, he's fooling you all. It's too late to do anything about it now, of course. But he's one step ahead. He always is. I imagine he had the entire city mapped out within a day of coming here. After that, he would have discovered where his enemies slept at night, or at the very least where they are during the day. Then, he would have positioned his people accordingly. So, you see, this conflict was over before it really began. As soon as Hunter gives the order, his people will kill anyone and everyone they consider a threat. I'm just here to have fun. So…let's get started, shall we?"

Before they could land a shot on her, she had already loosed three nails from her weapon. One tore into Wolf's arm, another into Revy's chest and the third into Sawyer's hand, prompting her to drop the chainsaw. Svetlana had turned and run too soon for them to hit her. Regardless, they opened fire anyway and riddled the wall around the open window she had jumped from.

"Absolute motherfucker!" Wolf roared as he ripped the nail from his arm. Revy grabbed the steel just millimetres above her collarbone and ripped it out of her flesh with a grunt.

"Cocksucker!" she cried angrily as she ran to the window and pointed her Cutlasses to the streets below. Svetlana was in plain sight, laughing maniacally as she ran away. All of Revy's shots missed and plummeted into the ground.

"Catch me if you can!" the Russian called back with a sly grin.

"Spooky, you get back to the car and see if you can cut her off!" Revy commanded, prompting the cleaner to nod and take off down the stairs. "Freakshow, help Chinglish. Make sure she can fucking walk. Come on, Wolfy, we're taking this bitch down tonight." The two of them hopped out the window and made their way down the fire escape as Lotton rushed to Shenhua's aid.

"What did Balalaika tell you about this psycho?"

"Not much," Revy said between heavy breaths as they tore off in the direction they had seen Svetlana go. "Sounded like a jumped up terrorist to me. Was in the Russian army for a while."

"What happened to her?"

"Killed one of her own men. Stupid bitch."

"It's a wonder Hunter trusts her at all." The two of them turned a corner, then, and did their best to stay on Svetlana's heels. They could only barely spot her up ahead, the dim lighting and speed of their target making it all but impossible to land a shot. By now, their antics were attracting attention from the surrounding buildings, though most people just turned off their lights and shut the drapes in an attempt to stay out of it. In this city, conflicts between rival gangs and cartels were common. The people had learned to deal with it and love on.

As Svetlana neared the end of the alley they were in, she halted. The road was up ahead. Either she had anticipated that they would send someone to cut her off or she was having too much fun toying with them. Both scenarios were equally plausible. The Russian whipped around and loosed three more nails from her weapon, prompting Wolf to duck down behind a car for cover, dragging Revy with him.

"You two are way too much fun," Svetlana called. They could hear her footsteps as she slowly advanced on them. The absurdity of the weapon she was using along with the fact that it was her against two of them thoroughly annoyed them. But they were well aware of how dangerous she was. As if the successful kidnapping and torture of Shenhua wasn't enough to prove her prowess, she had lasted this long against armed opponents without even coming close to taking a hit.

She was dangerous, beyond the calibre of what they had seen before. It was starting to make sense to Revy why Hunter had used her as a last resort. "Why don't you come on out? All I have is this iddy bitty nail gun. Surely a pair of trained killers are up to the task of taking me on." Revy almost jumped at the chance once she heard that, only to be dragged back down behind cover by Wolf. A nail crunched into the trunk of the car instantly. "Oh! Almost had you that time. Come on, at least give me a chance."

"Funny," Revy called back to her. "But you ain't gonna get the chance to use that thing again. The second you slip up, I'll blow your fucking brains out."

"Is that so?" Svetlana asked as she came closer. In a minute or so, she would be on top of them. Then, one of them was going to be riddled with nails. They couldn't afford to let that happen. But they had no choice. One way or another, somebody was going to have to take a hit so the other could kill Svetlana.

"Pretty weird Hunter only called you in now," Wolf told her.

"I wish he'd called sooner," she replied, her boots falling onto the cold concrete below her with a gentle thud every few seconds. "I haven't had this much fun in a long time."

"So you're, what, his trump card? He must be gearing up for war, the way you were talking back there. And if he finally saw fit to bring you here, the end must be near." This wasn't exactly earth shattering news, but if they could keep Svetlana talking, they may be able to take the chance to kill her. As well as that, Wolf was genuinely curious to know how close they were to going toe-to-toe with Hunter. He was still hidden away, pulling the strings from the darkness. But if what Svetlana said was true, he would show himself soon, at the head of an army ready to tear his enemies apart piece by piece.

"'End' is such a climactic word," Svetlana moaned girlishly. "I like to think of it as a finale, grand and extravagant! There will be death, naturally. But life goes on. That's a truth you lot haven't seemed to have grasped just yet. You will all die. But…life goes on. Nothing changes, the world isn't any emptier. But yes, I see your point. Hunter is ready. He might not seem like it, but his pieces are all in place. Soon, he will make his move." They heard her footsteps getting closer. She was only seconds away, now. Revy cocked her Cutlasses and prepared to fire. Even if she took a few nails to her body, she was still intent on killing the Russian.

Just as they prepared to leap from cover, they heard a car at the far end of the alley pull up, its tyres squeaking as it came to an abrupt stop. Svetlana gasped momentarily. That was their chance. Wolf and Revy both came to their feet and opened fire on Svetlana, who was struck three times before she managed to duck in behind one of the five or so broken down cars in the alley. Her blood was smeared across the ground. They heard her grunt in pain as she fell to the ground.

"Damn! That must have hurt like a _bitch!_ " Wolf mocked her. In the street, Sawyer sat in the driver's seat of the car, blocking the exit. Even if Svetlana was in any condition to escape, she had no way out.

"Fucking Spooky came through!" Revy exclaimed.

"Nice shooting," Svetlana called from behind the car. They couldn't see her, but in her condition, it was hard not to make noise. "But opening fire when my back was turned? That must be low, even for you lot. Argh, fuck! Damn it…"

"How much damage did we do?" Wolf asked, enjoying the Russian's pain way too much.

"Not enough," she called back menacingly. They heard some metallic clinking and clicking which they assumed was her reloading the nail gun. "Takes more than that to keep me down. Two clean exit wounds in my shoulder and leg, and one absolute bitch of a wound in my back. Thanks for that."

"Don't mention it," Revy spat. "Now get the fuck out here so we can finish this!" They heard some more scurrying as they moved closer and closer to where she was hiding. From where Sawyer was, she did not have a clear view of Svetlana. There were too many cars and dumpsters in the way.

"What was it you said, surely we can take on a girl with a nail gun?" Wolf asked, exaggerated mockery and glee in his voice as he cocked his Desert Eagle. "Why don't you find out?" There was only silence then.

"You still there, Ruskie?" Revy asked. Again, no answer. The two killers nodded at one another before sprinting up to the car and pointing where Svetlana should have been. She was gone, only a small pool of blood, a compacted bullet and a bloody nail left on the ground. The window on the wall was opened. They would not see her again, at least not until she was ready to get her revenge.

"She dug that bullet out of her back?!" Wolf asked, kicking the piece of lead aside. "Damn."

"Goddammit!" Revy screeched. "Fucking piece of shit!" Even if they did encounter Svetlana again, she would likely be healed up, well-armed and at the forefront of a group of Dead Men. By then, they would need help taking her down. An idea came to Wolf, then. Andromeda was still at his apartment, ready to serve. If he could get Rahul to switch her target to Svetlana, they might have a fighting chance. Not only was Andromeda extremely dangerous, she was, for all intents and purposes, expendable. As heartless as that was, Wolf would rather her die than any of the others.

"Well, there's no use worrying about this now," he groaned as Lotton strode up behind them Shenhua in his arms. "Go clear your head, Revy. I have an idea."

"You gonna let me in on it?!" she called after him as he ran towards the other end of the alley.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14: The Devil's Call

Balalaika knew it was coming close to the end, now. Her people had clashed with the Dead Men a few times already as they attempted to make their way around the city, most likely trying to position themselves for an attack. So far, none had been spotted in the streets that surrounded her office, despite Kells's warning. Either Hunter had the good sense not to be so brazen, or he pulled his men back when he realised how aggressive Hotel Moscow were. But the Dead Men were mounting for an assault, as were their enemies.

Right now, the best soldiers under Balalaika's command had gathered before her. They were all fully armed and ready to go to war. It wasn't often they assembled like this, so prepared for the worst, but when they did, the entire city trembled in fear. Hotel Moscow could wipe out the entire of Roanapur if they wished, a claim none others except Hunter could make. He was truly a worthy foe, if troublesome and annoying. Balalaika had long been itching for real combat with actual soldiers. Lucille's task force would have provided that had they not been dispatched in other ways. But the Dead Men were as good as right now. They were dangerous and numerous. And judging from how long they managed to remain like that, they would not go down easy. This was the battle Balalaika had been waiting for, or at least it was as good as she would get right now. And she would make sure every last one of them regretted entering her city. She stood straight, her military jacket draped over her shoulders and a light blue beret adorning her head like a crown. Her people all held their Kalashnikovs steadily as they waited for her to speak.

"Comrades!" she began, her voice commanding and assertive, encouraging any and all who heard to listen to what she had to say. They all respected her too greatly to ignore her. They were her people, her companions. Many of them had fought and bled alongside her personally. "We stand tall this day, ready to face down anyone foolish enough to think they can take us down. Our enemy is Hunter Woods. He and his Dead Men have been in our city for far too long. They think they can scare us, that we will bend over and submit to him if he gives us a large enough show of force. He is _wrong._ We are soldiers. We fight, we bleed, we sweat…together. We have seen more than Hunter can even imagine. His people are gangsters, no better than the cartels or mercenaries of this city. They will not stop us. Today, we come for him with the fury of an entire nation. Today, we make him rue the day he stepped off his ship and onto the pier of Roanapur. Today…we annihilate the Dead Men!" They all raised their rifles and cheered. Every last one of them would fight and die for the honour of their organisation, for Balalaika. As she turned and started towards her office, she found Boris waiting for her. It was odd he hadn't been present for her speech. "Sergeant, what news? Do we have a location on Hunter?"

"Kapitan, we found this," he told her, holding up what looked like a shoebox. "Hunter might not need to be found." Apprehensively, Balalaika reached for the lid and lifted it, letting it fall to the ground. Inside, a walkie-talkie had been placed with some care on the thin, paper-like fabric. A small note was tied to the antenna. It read: _Turn to channel three._ Balalaika snatched it up in her hands and proceeded into her office, motioning for Boris to follow. He did so. Without hesitation, Balalaika switched to channel three and raised the walkie-talkie to her mouth.

"What a pleasant surprise," she spoke low and calm. "I take it you wanted to chat. Otherwise, this seems rather pointless."

(*)

The market Revy sat in was quiet today. She had been here before, multiple times. Usually, she was with Rock. He was in her thoughts more and more these days. It annoyed her how close to Hunter he was. While she could believe the crime lord bore no ill will towards Rock, she was still uncomfortable with the thought that he might well be filling the Japanese man's thoughts with poisonous nonsense. Hunter was a clever man. It was well within the realm of possibilities that he could try and manipulate Rock, try and turn him against the others. He was oddly charismatic and powerful. If he wore Rock down, if he used the right tactics and said the right things, Rock might actually end up confused about who to root for in this war. The thought made Revy feel dirty.

(*)

"Miss Balalaika," Hunter said on the other side of the walkie-talkie. "So glad you picked up. I was worried your people might think the box was a bomb and just get rid of it. Glad to see that didn't happen."

"It's a wonder your people got close enough to the building to leave the box there in the first place. But that's beside the point, at least for the meantime. You must know your end is near."

"I respectfully disagree," Hunter told her. "We're gonna end this thing, that's for damn sure. But I'm not the one who's going down. In case you haven't noticed, I left a hound off the leash in your city. And she's hungry."

"Ah, yes, Svetlana," Balalaika mulled. "Not the hound I was expecting to cause trouble, but no less dangerous, I'm sure. It's surprising you know her at all. She's a special kind of monster."

"I agree," Hunter assured her. "But desperate times call for desperate measures. I'm curious…what do you know about her?" That was an odd question. Balalaika knew more about the Mad Dog than she had told the rest. She had heard all sorts of things about this self-made terrorist, this ruthless slayer of men who would kill you as soon as look at you. She knew the depravity and unbridled carnage Svetlana was capable of.

"She was in the military," Balalaika began. "Not that she deserved to be. She is a pathetic, miserable woman, one who shows no loyalty or compassion for any set of ideals. She would set fire to the Russian flag in a moment if it earned her quick cash or the opportunity to gut some poor, unsuspecting innocent. It's almost like you brought her here just to irritate me." Balalaika went to the window, then, surveying the streets below in case Hunter was bold enough to show up at her door.

"Nah, that was just a bonus," Hunter joked. "But you should know the only reason she's here is because of you. I didn't want to call on her. In fact, I did everything in my power to avoid calling her. You forced my hand. Now that she's here, now that she's gotten the smell of gunpowder and blood…there's no stopping her. All I can do is hope she gets the job done so I can leave this damn place."

"It's cute that you think she will stop us," Balalaika warned him, making no attempt to mask her distaste for the woman he called to Roanapur to do his bidding. "She may be dangerous, but I have trained soldiers here who would take her apart and put her back together again. And if she lays a finger on any of them…I'll kill her myself."

"You can certainly try," Hunter said menacingly. "I know how you must feel, being a patriotic woman and all. But your people? They're no better than Svetlana. Jumped up terrorists from a dead nation, so hung up on the past that the only way you can survive is by becoming one of the walking dead. You're a mafia, plain and simple. A far cry from what you think of your little organisation."

"With all due respect, Hunter, I'd watch my tone if I were you," Balalaika snapped, her voice significantly lower and angrier than before. "When we do meet face to face, your fate is in my hands. I can be as merciful or as cruel as I please. Remember that." She heard him laugh on the other side.

"That plucked a nerve," he teased. "Still, at the end of the day, when the dust settles, there's only way this ends."

(*)

Thoughts of the violence and heartache Roanapur had seen in the past entered Revy's mind as she fiddled with the strap of her holsters. It was strange to think that it had been less than a year and a half since Wolf Pack showed up in the city, stranger still to think that the Dead Men were as prevalent a threat as they were. Considering they were a gang, a mafia, it did not fit that they had managed to succeed more at their goal than the Black Marchers or Godswrath. True, Kane had done more physical damage to the city, and he had effectively controlled his own district for a time, but when it came down to brass tacks, he was easily defeated.

Lucille had come the closest to actually killing Balalaika or Chang. They had both been on their knees outside of town before the soldier, at her mercy. But even with all her strength and power, her people were killed and she was forced into hiding. And now, a regular crime boss in charge of a sprawling criminal syndicate was as close as anyone had been to taking Roanapur to its knees. It was almost fitting that what was effectively the equivalent of Chang and Balalaika was making the best attempt at killing them. Not the stealthy soldier, or the fleeting mercenary…

(*)

"Let me know when you crawl out of whatever hole you're in," Balalaika mocked. "Then, we can finally get this over with." Her tone was dismal and condescending, as if fighting Hunter was as trivial as killing a fly. This did not go unnoticed by the crime lord, judging from the silence that followed.

"Oh, I'm already out of hiding," he told her. She could almost visualise the smile he bore as he said that. "Have been since this morning. Had to oversee preparations, you know?"

"Is that so?" Balalaika asked, gesturing to Boris to prepare the men. They were heading out as soon as this conversation was over. This would end tonight. "Well, why don't you come on over and say hello? Then we can speak in person instead of like this. It's awfully impersonal."

"I would, but that building looks terribly well-guarded," he told her slyly. "Or at least it did earlier."

" _You_ left the shoebox outside?" She shot a disgruntled look towards the door where Boris had been moments earlier. It was astounding that not one of her people noticed Hunter approach the building.

"Yes, I did," he answered, making no attempt to hide how happy he was at her irritation.

"Well, it matters not," Balalaika told him adamantly. "If we're about done, I'll be off. I don't want to miss the moment my people catch you. I plan on being there to execute you myself."

"I'm afraid that's not gonna happen," he claimed. "Poor, sweet, innocent Balalaika…if only you knew how screwed you were."

(*)

To think that Kane had been far more equipped to topple the ruling factions than Hunter baffled Revy as she sat there. He had military-grade weapons, armoured vehicles and an incredible amount of people ready to die for him. He even had a prime hiding spot, right here in the marketplace…

(*)

"It's really quite surprising that you haven't found my greatest surprise yet," Hunter went on. "My hiding place? Where I kept Rock? No, that was small stuff. But the real shit is right below your feet. Catacombs, wasn't it? I'm not sure, I didn't explore much beyond the bunker my men are in right now. Well, they won't be there for long. Should be leaving right about now, actually."

(*)

That's when it hit Revy. During Kane's siege of the city, he had taken Garcia Lovelace and Fabiola hostage. They managed to track him to this marketplace, to a small café. Inside, a flight of stairs led down to an expansive bunker, one that connected to the catacombs Roberta had been hiding in when she returned here to assassinate the Grey Fox team. Revy reached for her Cutlasses all too late as the door to the café flung open and she was shot to the ground.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15: The Puppeteer

Hunter shut off the walkie-talkie before rolling down the window of his Dodge Challenger and tossing it outside to land with a crash on the concrete below. It had been some time since Balalaika said anything on the other side. It seemed doubtful she would speak with Hunter anymore. He pressed down on the accelerator, then, and took off. The row of three silver armoured jeeps behind followed closely as they made their way through the streets of Roanapur. It was incredible how brave Hunter was to drive around in the open like this. Then again, his car along with the vehicles his people were in were all armoured. As well as that, several convoys of the Dead Men passed them by every few seconds. The fighting had started. It was all out war in the streets, now. Rock could already hear the gunfire.

"And so it begins," Hunter said theatrically. "Whether you like it or not, this is the end. It's bright and early, Balalaika has plenty of time to do her best against my people. But let's call a spade a spade…she ain't gonna do shit. She's going to die in this city. And I'm gonna kill her. Just like I killed Ulysses." Rock flinched at the mention of Ulysses. The man's name brought back the memory of his gruesome death. "What, too soon?" Hunter asked upon noticing Rock's discomfort.

"You don't have to do this," Rock told him as he gathered his thoughts and composed himself. "I know you think you have this war won already, but if you stay here, you're going to die. Tonight. I guarantee it." Hunter brought the car to an abrupt stop in the middle of the road, his convoy stepping on the brakes just in time to avoid ramming into the back of the Dodge. The man in black leaned over to Rock with a scowl on his face.

"Was that a threat?" he asked quietly, resting his hand on the pocket of his overcoat. Rock knew what was in there. He had seen the spiked glove for himself that day Ulysses died.

"No, it's not," Rock assured the man calmly. "It's a warning. As hard as it is to believe, I don't want to see you die if it can be avoided. You could leave right now, just go back to Hong Kong on your ship and live out the rest of your days like a king. Your Dead Men won't be so lucky, but if you give the order now you might be able to save a few of them." Hunter studied Rock for a few seconds. He did not look convinced. Instead of offering Rock any actual response, he just exploded with laughter and threw his head back against the headrest of the seat.

"You're one funny kid, you know that?!" he roared as he tried to regain his composure. "Really, what a fucking riot." He placed one hand on Rock's shoulder, then. "Rock, let me start by saying that is one stupid fucking idea you have there. Really. It's piss poor, in fact. Secondly, the second Balalaika had the gall to refuse what I came here for, she signed her own death warrant. So, however you wanna look at it, I'm going to smash her head to pieces. Nothing you can say will change my mind. Now get out." The door was opened suddenly as hands reached in and grabbed Rock, dragging him out of the vehicle without warning. "You'll be alright," Hunter called to him as he was taken over to one of the silver jeeps. "Just sit tight. This will all be over soon."

As the back door of the jeep was opened, Rock spotted Usagi. She looked up at him, startled, before he was thrown in beside her and the door was slammed shut. The jeep took off then, two men in the front. One of them held an ACR between his legs and had a Glock 17 holstered at his leg but the driver held no weapons. If they were going to get out of here, they would need to be fast and precise.

"Rokoro! Are you alright?" Usagi asked frantically as the jeep made a sharp right turn and came to a stop in a parking lot. The dim, pale white light on the ceiling was flickering. It gave an eerie sense of dread to the shadows around them.

"I'm okay, Usagi," he assured her. His eyes instantly went to the two men in the front. They weren't focused on their hostages, more enthusiastic about the conversation they were having with one another than their current situation, but that did not mean they would be easily dispatched. If Rock attempted to grab one of their weapons, he would no doubt be beaten and put back in his place without warning. He would need to be smart about this, but this might be one of the only times when his words would not get him out of this predicament.

"I feel like I owe you an apology," Usagi piped up, then, her hands clasped on her lap and her face flustered. Rock raised his eyebrows as he turned to face her.

"For what?" he asked, confused. Usagi swallowed.

"For the other night. I can't help but feel I made you uncomfortable." She must have been referring to when she kissed him. It had been unexpected, and perhaps Rock had elicited some discomfort. But he certainly did not want Usagi to feel bad. She was under a lot of stress, and she had been through a lot more than she should have been in just two short weeks.

"No, I…of course you didn't."

"Nevertheless, I am sorry. I'm not sure what I was thinking."

"You've been through a lot," Rock told her. "I don't hold it against you." He gave one more glance at the two men before leaning in towards Usagi and lowering his voice. "Listen, I have a plan. But I need you to help me. I need you to get out of the jeep and run. Those two guys are going to try and catch you, but if I pull this off, they won't. We'll get away." She looked momentarily frightened, but she knew they had to try and get away. Otherwise, they would be forced to sit here until Hunter's war was over. Regardless of the outcome, Rock was not content to sit this one out.

"Okay," Usagi told him. "I trust you." She took one deep breath before abruptly opening the door and taking off towards the exit to the parking lot. The man with the guns turned in his seat to look at her.

"Holy shit, she just fucking took off!" he exclaimed. As soon as he reached for the handle of the door, Rock leaped forward in his seat and grabbed the holstered Glock. With the handle, he smacked the man across the side of the head, knocking him out cold. He repeated this process on the second man, who looked as though he was about to strangle Rock. It was a miracle they got away with that. Usagi came rushing back, smiling.

"You did it!" Rock couldn't help but laugh. He stuffed the Glock into the back of his pants instinctually before exiting the jeep.

"Yeah, I did," he hummed, still taking it in. "Come on. We have to go." The two of them left the parking lot and turned left, moving towards the coast.

"Where are we going?" Usagi asked as she struggled to keep up with Rock.

"We need to find a payphone," he told her as they approached the coast. The area they were in was largely abandoned, but the pier that stretched out onto the ocean, the pier now shrouded in low-hanging mist, was used occasionally to smuggle people into the city. It looked as though there might have been a boat or two at the end, but Rock took no notice. He went straight to the payphone on the sidewalk and reached into his pocket for coins, producing them a few seconds later and stuffing them into the slot.

He hesitated for a moment as he decided who to call. He knew who he wanted to speak to in order to put his plan into action, but he didn't necessarily want Usagi out here while the Dead Men were leading their assault. If the number that came to mind was still in use, he could have her safely escorted back to Wolf's. He dialled quickly. There was ringing. That was a good sign. The person on the other side picked up.

"I'm not sure how you got this number," the smooth voice of Mister Fox began, "but I'm going to have to ask that you don't call it again."

"Fox! It's me, Rock!"

"Rock, my boy!" Fox enthused then. "My, my, where are you calling from? I didn't think I'd be hearing from you anytime soon. Truthfully, I didn't think I'd be hearing from you ever ag-"

"Fox, listen to me," Rock cut him off. "I need you to come to the pier southeast of town. It's not too far from a large parking lot. Supposed to be used for smuggling people into Roanapur."

"I know it well," Fox said. "What of it?"

"I need you to come here," Rock went on. Fox was under the employment of the Triad. He had no obligation, contractual or otherwise, to come to Rock's aid. That was discouraging. "There's a girl. Usagi. I want you to take her to Wolf's apartment." Usagi didn't look too pleased at that.

"Do you, now?" Fox asked slyly, his voice clearly insinuating he had no intention of going along with this. "Well, in case you haven't noticed, we have a bit of a situation to deal with right now. Chang has me on standby in case he needs his agents escorted around the city."

"Please," Rock urged him. "It won't take you ten minutes. For old time's sake." There was silence on the other side. Rock hoped Fox would hurry and come to a decision. His time on the payphone was due to run out any second now. Perhaps he should have made the other call first.

"I'll be there as quick as I can," Fox said at last, much to Rock's relief. "But if Chang comes to me about this, I'll refer him to you." Rock hung up the phone then.

"Rokoro, please," Usagi began. "You can't send me away. You'll be in danger out here."

"I'll be okay," he assured her. "I know what I'm doing, despite evidence to the contrary. Trust me, Usagi. I'll be close behind you. I just need to make one more call." It was clear Usagi didn't want to leave him, but she couldn't exactly argue now. She had no choice but to go along with his wishes and hope he knew what he was doing, like he said. Fox was along shortly. He pulled up on the side of the road and rolled down the window of his black Mercedes, smiling all the while. Usagi gave Rock one last worried look before hugging him and hopping into the car beside Fox.

"You're not coming?" Fox asked.

"I have something to do," Rock answered evasively. Fox smiled even wider at that.

"You are a scheming little man, aren't you?" he teased gleefully. "It's one of your talents, your uncanny ability to manipulate the world around you and bend more powerful players to your will. Well, I wish you all the best, Rock. Here's hoping I'll see you on the other side."

"Hold up!" Rock called as the car began to move. Fox stepped on the brake.

"Yes?"

"You wouldn't happen to have any change?" Rock asked, pointing his thumb at the payphone. Fox laughed heartily before reaching inside his suede jacket and tossing a few coins onto the ground.

"Godspeed, Rocky Boy." As soon as Fox drove off, Rock snatched up the coins and inserted them into the payphone, frantically dialling the next number in his mind. The call went through.

"Yeah?" Eda asked, prominent disinterest in her voice.

"Eda, it's Rock."

"Rock, what a nice surprise!" she said emphatically. "What can I do for you, Romeo?" Rock cleared his throat as he prepared to tell her his plan.

"Eda, Hunter is on the attack right now. Tonight, there'll be a time when he's facing down more than he can handle. I need you to do something. I have a plan."


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16: The Damned

The bullet caught Revy in the shoulder, sending her plummeting to the ground with a resounding, meaty smack. She was ready to fight back. She wanted to, gripping her Cutlasses tightly. But she didn't. Even now, she had the good sense to play dead and go limp. There were easily forty or so Dead Men pouring from that building. If Revy so much as coughed, they would riddle her with lead. So she waited, her face blank and her eyes opened, staring blankly at the ground as blood leaked from her wound.

As soon as the last of the Dead Men had left the market, she sat up and grunted in pain, clutching the bullet hole in her shoulder. It was not severe, but it still hurt like hell. So that was where Hunter had his people. They knew he would be positioning squads around the city to lie in wait until the order was given to start the fighting, but they had forgotten about Kane's bunker, about the Bloodhound's catacombs. That was where a sizeable force of Dead Men had been hiding, a force that would now spread around the city and slaughter any and all members and allies of the ruling factions.

Revy needed to move if she was going to do anything about it. She holstered both of her weapons and darted over to the payphone, calling Lagoon Company's apartment. Right now, Dutch and Benny were none the wiser back at home. They were in danger, whether they knew it or not. Dutch could handle himself, but Revy still wanted to warn him.

"Lagoon Company," Dutch answered formally.

"Dutch, it's fucking nuts out here!" Revy screamed into the phone. "Hunter's people are on a goddamn killing spree! This shit is starting right now!"

"Fuck," Dutch groaned. "It was only a matter of time, I suppose. If Hunter started this shit now, Balalaika must know already. All we can do now is wait." Revy took a moment to register that.

"You can't be serious, Dutch," she told him. "Those fuckers are out there right now shooting the place to shit!"

"If you want to take the fight to them, be my guest," Dutch told her. "Hell, call up Wolf and get him to join you. But Balalaika hasn't called us yet. If she sees you out there, she'll consider you an obstacle in her way, nothing else. Avoid Hotel Moscow at all costs, Revy. You know damn well they won't hesitate to shoot you if you interfere without Balalaika's prior consent."

There was no denying that. Balalaika was fond of Lagoon Company. She trusted them and was happy to use them time and time again for jobs. But when special situations arose that resulted in Hotel Moscow going head to head with a rival, Balalaika did not hesitate to let Lagoon know that they were not to get in her way. And they knew that if they disobeyed her, they died. If Revy decided to take on the Dead Men, she would be walking a fine line. But Balalaika couldn't exactly turn down assistance right now either, especially considering there was a garrison of forty armed men and women she hadn't accounted for presumably heading her way.

"Alright, Dutch," she groaned. She held the phone in her hand as she contemplated hanging up. But she stopped herself just in time. "Hey, you and Benny keep your heads down, you hear?" Dutch chuckled when he heard that.

"We will," he answered before hanging up.

(*)

As the door of Wolf's apartment opened, Usagi immediately ran to the assassin, clasping him in a hug. Fox was close behind her.

"Ah, so heart-warming to see reunions such as this," the eccentric droned. Wolf shot him a look of confusion.

"You brought her back?"

"I did. At Rock's request."

"Where is he?" Lucille asked, interested to know why the young man hadn't accompanied Usagi back.

"He opted to remain in the city," Fox told them as Usagi went to her father, hugging him tightly. "I'm not entirely sure why, but I assume he's planning something." Rahul released his daughter and stepped forward.

"Thank you for bringing her back safely," he said softly. "I appreciate that a lot."

"No trouble," Fox told him. "Though you may want to thank Rock when he gets back from wherever he is. It was his idea, after all." Fox only noticed now the group of people arranged before him. They all looked ready to go to war. Then again, they had to be ready, considering Hunter's assault had begun. "Don't we all look like we just got back from Afghanistan. Or like we're about to head out there any minute now."

"You're not far off," Wolf told him, holstering his Desert Eagle. "We're going to head out. We have work to do." He stopped before the plump man, looking him up and down curiously. "You should come with us, Fox. I know you mightn't want to. None of the people in this room are your best friends, or anything. But we could use the help. And you're one of the good ones." Fox sniggered at that, but his expression suggested he was both surprised and appreciative of that assessment.

"Well, I felt my cell buzzing once or twice so I assume Chang is thoroughly annoyed at me now. Why not? You all won't fit into that stolen white sedan outside, anyway." Wolf smiled at that before furrowing his brow once he realised what Fox had said.

"How do you know I stole it?" he asked.

"Because it used to belong to Major Landis," Fox answered before opening the door. "I'm sure he won't hold it against you, though, he's got five more just like it. Chop-Chop, everyone. We don't have all day." They all stepped forward, weapons at the ready. Even though Usagi and Roberta weren't exactly in the best conditions to fight, for very different reasons, however, Wolf was not content to leave either of them in the apartment. At least if they left to go into the city, they would be accompanied by very capable fighters.

"Who goes with who?" Andromeda asked. Considering she had been instructed to assassinate Svetlana, she wanted to know the specifics of what she considered a job.

"Me, Lucille and Fox can go in the Mercedes," Wolf told them. "If I know Revy, she'll be out there already. We'll need a space in the car for her. The rest of you take the sedan and look for Svetlana. She's the priority." They all nodded and headed to their assigned vehicles. Once he and Lucille were in the Mercedes, Fox took off towards the centre of Roanapur.

"So, where do you suppose Miss Rebecca would be?" he asked curiously.

"I'd try following the trail of bodies," Lucille suggested from the back seat. "That's always a good starting point."

"Or I could take you to Rock if you like," Fox suggested. "But I'm not even sure where exactly he is. He may well have moved on by now." That was tempting. Out there on his own, Rock was very much in danger. They could make an attempt to get him, to keep him safe. But there were other things going on right now. That, and it sounded like whatever Rock was doing, it was important.

"No, it sounds like he needs to be left alone," Wolf asserted. "And unless whatever he's doing comes back to bite us in the balls, I'm content to let him do it. Besides, we need fighters right now. I'm not sure where Revy is, but if she's not back at the apartment, she might be in danger." Lucille produced her phone, then, informing the other two that she would give Dutch a call just to make sure they were not wasting time. Truthfully, what they should be doing right now was taking the fight to the Dead Men. While their efforts would no doubt be misconstrued as interference by Hotel Moscow, they could get away with picking off a few of Hunter's people here and there. And if things became desperate enough, like they very well could, Balalaika would be in no position to turn away help. As proud and patriotic as she was, this war concerned all of them. Every person who had left Wolf's apartment was either a target of the Dead Men or was of some personal interest to Hunter, save for Fox. They had as much of a right to take the man on as Balalaika. She would be forced to see that sooner or later, whether she wanted to or not.

The other source of worry was Svetlana. She was still out there. They had not seen the last of her, Wolf knew that for sure. While she may not necessarily resurface at the front of a squad of Dead Men, she was still on their side, for the most part. Not only was she an enemy, she was an extremely dangerous, volatile, destructive enemy, one who would do more damage than even Hunter wanted if left to her own devices. For that reason, Wolf hoped Andromeda managed to succeed. He also hoped the killers in the sedan found the Russian first. Otherwise, this would be an even more unpleasant day.

"Dutch hasn't seen Revy all day," Lucille spoke up then. "After last night, she stumbled in the door of the apartment but she must have gotten up early and left because there was no sign of her this morning."

"Does he know where she is?"

"No, but she's had a run in with the Dead Men already. She called him not long ago to tell him the fighting had started." That still didn't exactly tell them where to find her, but nevertheless, they kept circling the streets of the city. It didn't take long for Revy to find them. The spotted her on the side of the street, both Cutlasses in her hands and blood dripping down from her shoulder to stain her tank top. Fox pulled over and honked the horn. She immediately hopped into the back of the car before it took off again.

"About damn time," she grumbled. "Not one fucking car in the streets. Place is a fucking ghost town since Hunter's people started shooting."

"What happened to you?" Wolf asked as he took his Desert Eagle in one hand and cocked it.

"Dead Men got the jump on me," she explained. "They were in Kane's fucking bunker, Wolfy. At the market." Wolf exhaled deeply as he took in the reality of the situation.

"Ah for fuck's sake," he groaned. "How did we not think to check there? Of course he'd hide people down there, it's perfect."

"Yeah, well, they ain't there anymore," Revy told him. "I must have counted forty of the shitheads heading straight into the city. You hear the shooting?"

"We'd be deaf if we hadn't," Fox told her smugly. Revy scoffed.

"Well, look who decided to drag himself out of whatever fucking hole he lives in," she spat. Fox chuckled.

"It's nice to see you again. This feels good, doesn't it? A reunion! The four of us back together. I wish it were under better circumstances, mind you, but I'll take what I can get. Working under Chang has its perks, but it's not the most fulfilling of work. But this? Ah, this is what I live for."

"Well, I'm glad we could help," Wolf told him jokingly, though there was more sincerity to his words than he let on. Fox was never the type to make friends. He was a businessman, an associate of a private security division in Roanapur. His relationship with the others was strictly professional, or it had been up until now. It sort of made Wolf glad that the man had seemingly come to consider the three people in the car his friends. That thought was immediately torn from Wolf's mind as the glass of the windshield was pierced suddenly. Fox skidded across the road, coming to a stop just in time to avoid crashing into the wall.

"Are those…nails?" he asked, studying the three projectiles that had pierced the glass. Wolf looked to his left, down the street. Svetlana stood in the middle of the road, a knee-length leather jacket covering her and that same nail gun in her hand.

"Yes, they are," Wolf moaned. "Of course they fucking are."


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17: The Reunion

The waves of the ocean gently lapped up against the coast as Rock looked out towards the horizon. It had been almost an hour since he had outlined his plan to Eda. She seemed surprised and a little defensive when he said the things he said to her, but ultimately she decided to go along with it. It wasn't as easy to persuade her as Rock would have hoped, but she finally gave in. Now, it was a waiting game.

The fighting had been raging since a while ago. Later tonight, a time would come when either Hunter or Balalaika were on their knees, at the mercy of the other one. For the sake of the city and the well-being of Rock's companions, he hoped the ruling factions came out victorious. When that time came, Rock could swoop in and put his plan into action. He took one last breath before turning from the sight before him and starting in the opposite direction. There was no use hanging around here and waiting for his opportunity. He needed to make his way back into the city and see how the others were doing. They were all in danger. Rock was not content to leave them to their own devices. He wanted to know if they were alright.

"Mister Okajima." The voice reached his ears just as he stepped onto the road. He turned slowly, peering into the mist that surrounded the pier. That was where the voice had come from, where the lone boat was moored. Rock took a few steps forward, coming to a stop just before the edge of the mist. He could spot a silhouette in there, but the face of the man was indiscernible. But Rock thought he recognised that voice. He hadn't heard it in a long time, but recent events had caused memories of it to resurface. He was dreading this encounter.

"Who's there?!" Rock called, utterly failing to hide the fear and urgency in his voice. The silhouette came closer, now, wading through the thick ocean of white that surrounded him. Once he had emerged, Rock's heart sank. It was as he suspected.

"What a surprise I found you here," Kageyama said drolly. "When Hunter called me here, I must admit, I was intrigued at the prospect of seeing you again. I wasn't sure if you'd even be alive. I was sure this city would eat you alive when you decided to remain here." Rock still couldn't believe it. His old boss, the man who tormented him, who left him for dead in an attempt to cover up his own shady dealings, was here in front of him. Rock's anxiousness and anticipation were outmatched only by the sheer, unbridled rage that was beginning to well up inside him, a rage he hadn't often felt, a rage fuelled by a darker shade of his soul.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" Rock snapped then. "I know about you're dealings with Hunter. I know that he has you wrapped around his finger."

"Then you know he spoke to me on the phone," Kageyama went on. "He mentioned you. I don't think he knew what you were to me, but he must have had an inkling."

"And what am I to you?" Rock asked quietly. "An annoyance? And expendable asset? Where's your mercenary order this time?" Kageyama scoffed.

"Suffice it to say, I'm here on business," he said evasively, answering Rock's earlier question. "Hunter has been using these 'documents' as an excuse to get what he wants from me for some time. I heard he'd lost them. Naturally, I prepared to cut ties with him. But he was insistent I come here to see for myself that he was still in possession of them. He was also quite emphatic about the prospect of me bringing along the next shipment of weaponry." He pointed to the boat at the end of the pier with his right hand. It was only natural that Hunter would have more weapons brought into the city for his war. His people would presumably be along soon to retrieve the shipment. Rock couldn't be here for that.

"I should have known you'd have your hand in something like this," Rock grumbled. His former boss did not respond. "How long have you been associated with the Dead Men?" Kageyama did not smile. He rarely did, even when he was satisfied with how the situation was going. It was one of the things about him that made him unsettling. He was a businessman, through and through.

"A long time," he answered. "Too long, in fact. He was manipulating me and my influence at the company even when you worked for me." That, too, was troubling. Hunter had been active for a very long time. It made sense that he had been using Kageyama for as long as possible to supply his people. "I heard some of what you said on the phone."

"Is that so?"

"It wasn't entirely clear what you're planning, but if it's like it sounds, you're making a mistake," Kageyama warned him. "You should let Hunter die. I'm sure the people here are perfectly capable of that. It would be best for everyone." Rock almost growled when he heard that.

"Better for you, you mean?!" he asked, a dangerous edge to his voice. "You want to use me to make your problems go away, is that it?" Something inside Rock, something deep down and angry, made him reach behind him for the Glock. He grasped the handle of it and took it from his pants, pointing it forward. His hand was shaking slightly, but he could feel the adrenaline coursing through his veins. He was disturbingly close to pulling the trigger. Kageyama's eyes widened in surprise but he did his best to remain calm in the face of danger.

"Now, now, Mister Okajima," he began, trying to hide the faint panic in his voice.

"My name is Rock!" he growled. This was the man who declared him legally dead just to cover his own ass. He hired the Extra Order mercenary group to kill Rock and destroy the disc he held for Asahi Industries. This man was the reason Rock was even in Roanapur, the reason he had been through all the unnecessary heartache. And here he was, at Rock's mercy.

"You need to put that gun down," Kageyama urged him calmly. "If Hunter's people see you pointing that thing at me, they won't hold back. And they'll be here any minute for their shipment." Rock could just pull the trigger and end this man's life. It wouldn't take long. He could proceed to make his escape. He wanted to, more than he had ever wanted to inflict pain on anyone before. That was largely due to the fact that there were few people, if any, Rock actually wanted to see come to harm. That was when he began to realise why he felt this way. It was the darkness inside, that feeling, that presence that never went away. It was resurfacing after all this time. Rock had a handle on it. He was sure he could control it, that it would never seize him again. But Kageyama's presence threatened to subvert that.

"Why do you get to live?!" Rock asked as his arm began to waver. "After everyone who's died, why are you still breathing?!" Kageyama was the beginning of it all, and he very may well be the end here today if Rock made the more morally questionable choice. It seemed like an injustice to him, that this man who continued to get away with his miserable, dark life could go home every day to his family and get on with his endeavours like there was nothing wrong. And others who had more of a right to live, others who had been killed by Hunter or any of the others who had come to this city in the past, would never see the light of day again.

But this wasn't what Rock was. This wasn't who he wanted to be. So he dropped his arm, letting the Glock slip from his fingers to fall to the ground. He could hear Kageyama sighing with relief then. "You don't deserve it," Rock told him threateningly. He could hear a car not too far away. The Dead Men, he assumed. He needed to move. "Be thankful you're still alive." With that, he shot one more look at Kageyama before turning and taking off towards Lagoon's apartment. That was the last he would ever see of his old boss, he suspected. And that fact made him feel almost peaceful. That man had brought him nothing but distress and heartache. To know that once this was over he would hopefully be able to relax for once made him happy.

He could hear the gunfire as he made his way through the streets cautiously. The fighting would not cease until every last one of the Dead Men had been defeated, or until each and every one of Hunter's targets had been terminated. It would be a long, bloody night. This was only just beginning now. As he turned the corner, he came face to face with a squad of Dead Men. They were all arming up and preparing to join the fighting. Rock came to a halt, hoping they would not notice him. His hopes did not come to pass.

"Hey, kid!" one of them called to him. "You stop right the fuck there. Ain't that Hunter's prisoner? The one Jimmy was watching?"

"Where's the girl, huh?" another asked as she came forward and grabbed Rock's collar. "Where's Rahul's daughter?"

"Put him in the back," the first man ordered her as the rest got into the jeep. "Only thing we can do now is keep an eye on him." Rock was dragged into the back of the jeep, then, before it took off. There wasn't any getting out of this. It was only a matter of time before he bumped into some of Hunter's people and they recognised him. He was hoping the fact that Usagi was not with him would give him an advantage, but the Dead Men did not care that much, it seemed.

"You're in real shit, kid," the driver told him. "I take it Jimmy and Phil are dead, huh? You take them out yourself or did one of your pals do it?"

"He's got a fucking Glock!" the woman exclaimed as she took the weapon and handed it to one of the others.

"I didn't kill them!" Rock exclaimed as he attempted to defend himself. He was distracted only momentarily by the sound of gunfire on the street they were driving through. He did not see much, only the brief image of an unknown woman at the head of a squad of Dead Men firing at what he assumed were Balalaika's people. "Your people are still alive, in the parking lot."

"You're lucky you got away at all, then," the driver spat. Rock peered out the window to get a sense of where he was being taken. It didn't take long to deduce that he was being taken outside of town. That could only mean they planned to keep him in Lucille's warehouse. Sure enough, they took the turn off and parked right outside before Rock was taken from the jeep and brought inside. The sun was no longer high in the sky, now. It would be dark soon. Then, the carnage would really begin to mount. Once inside, the four Dead Men aimed their rifles at Rock, prompting him to raise his arms and move as little as possible.

"Wait until Hunter gets a load of you," the woman growled. "He's going to be pissed that you got away, let me tell you."

"Hell, he'll probably beat you for it," the driver added. "He can get pretty angry when he's disobeyed. And you really picked the wrong time to go against his wishes."

"Yep, now all we gotta do-" The man was cut off by the sound of gunshots, a sound Rock knew all too well. The four of his captors were lying in pools of his own blood within seconds. Rock looked around him for the source of the shots, a woman who stepped from the shadows. Revy. He should have known it would be her.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18: Back In The Saddle

"Why don't you come on out?" Svetlana ordered them, lowering her nail gun to put them at ease. She had eight Dead Men behind her, fully armed and ready to kill anyone who stepped out of line. Why they hadn't begun firing already was a mystery. Fox raised an eyebrow and looked to his left. Wolf just shrugged in response.

"What's the plan, here?" Lucille asked, cocking her M14. Clearly, they could not just bow to Svetlana's every whim. That would lead to their death, one way or another. But if they disobeyed her, they would also be slaughtered. That left them with basically no options.

"Perhaps we can talk her down," Fox suggested. "Then, when she thinks we're being civil, one of you can put a bullet in that pretty head of hers."

"That's not gonna work," Revy told him. They all knew there was no way out of this that involved speaking. Svetlana was unpredictably mad to the point where she would never pass up an opportunity to torment her victims before killing them. Another nail smashed into the windscreen, sending a rather ghastly crack tearing through the glass. One more shot and it would shatter.

"I'm waiting," Svetlana called childishly. Without any alternative, they emerged and lined up beside the car, their weapons at the ready. Killing these people would be tricky, but it was all they could do. It was likely it would end that way anyway, knowing how unstable Svetlana could get.

"Any particular reason you're leaving us alive?" Lucille asked. The Russian just smirked at her.

"What, common courtesy isn't enough?"

"Didn't think that was something you'd be capable of," Wolf shot at her.

"I'm hurt you would think that," Svetlana answered, feigned offense in her voice. "But I couldn't let this end without speaking first, could I? I will kill you all, have no doubt. But I wanted a chat, first."

"Common courtesy indeed," Fox began, stepping forward. The Dead Men all raised their rifles as if to warn him against taking another step. "I don't suppose you'd be open to the idea of a proposition? One that lets us all walk away with our lives."

"Nope," Svetlana answered bluntly. "Sorry, little man. Get back in line."

"I told him," Revy said quietly. Fox was clearly not content to leave well enough alone, as he stepped forward once more.

"You're too quick to dismiss," he went on. "How about we-" They all heard that tell-tale clicking sound as three more nails were loosed from Svetlana's weapon. They all smashed through the front of Fox's skull, killing him instantly. His lifeless body fell backwards onto the road, limp and motionless. Blood spilled from his wound to stain the front of his suede jacket and the asphalt below him. The others did not even react for a second as they took in what just happened.

"Anyone else?" Svetlana asked, wiggling the weapon in her hand.

"What the fuck?!" Revy screamed, raising her Cutlasses. The Dead Men reciprocated.

"Come on, now," Svetlana implored her. "Don't be stupid. The little man didn't want to chat. Don't tell me you don't want to either."

"Absolute bollocks!" Wolf roared before whipping out his Desert Eagle and firing a shot. It was complete carnage after that. As Hunter's people opened fire, the others ducked back down behind the Mercedes. Though it was reinforced, its armour was not quite as sophisticated or resilient as the kind on the jeeps of the Dead Men. The windows were all smashed in seconds and the steel would give in any moment. They needed to act fast if they were going to survive this onslaught. "What a fucking whore!" Wolf exclaimed furiously. None of them had any particular emotional attachment to Fox, but that end seemed like some sort of injustice. It did not sit right with any of them.

"We need to do something!" Lucille commanded them. "Quickly! This car isn't going to hold out forever." Lucille was a trained soldier. She had experience commanding subordinates and leading men into haunting, bloody combat situations. And even so, she had not been in a proper fight since Hunter had come to the city. It seemed her time had come to finally get back into the swing of things. And the other two knew that. They looked to her and waited for her command.

"We're all ears," Wolf told her eagerly. They could feel the Mercedes moving with the force of the gunshots punching into it from the other side.

"Revy, get behind me," Lucille began. "Stay down until I give the order." She did as she was told. "Wolf, what can you see if you drop down to the ground?"

"Not much," the assassin told her as he got down on his belly and peered towards the Dead Men from beneath the car. "I can sort of see their feet, but I don't think I'll be able to land a clear shot."

"That's fine," Lucille told him. "Stay down there. Just keep firing at them. Then when they're distracted, you give them hell, Revy."

"You got it, Red." Once they were all in position, Lucille counted to three on her fingers before pointing at Wolf. He immediately began firing from beneath the Mercedes, emptying the clip in his Desert Eagle. His shots did not hit any of the Dead Men, but they did become panicked once they realised they were being targeted. Before they could find cover, Lucille whistled, prompting Revy to hop up on the trunk of the car and start firing. As if they weren't frightened enough, three of them were taken down by Revy's shots.

"Yeah, scatter, you bunch of pussies!" Revy screamed joyfully before cackling loudly. This was interrupted once Svetlana let off a nail that struck Revy in the leg, knocking her onto the road. She screeched in pain, dropping both of her Cutlasses beside her. Lucille popped up from behind the car once she noticed, pointing her M14 at Svetlana. The Russian was too fast, dodging the bullets sent her way. But she was forced behind cover with the other Dead Men. The car they hid behind was a silver jeep, one of Hunter's. That more or less ruled out the possibility of shooting at it until their shots got through to the other side. That wouldn't happen. Wolf rose and went around the car to Revy, keeping his Desert Eagle trained on the jeep all the time. He knelt down with his eyes fixed on where he had last seen Svetlana.

"You alright, Rev?" he asked her.

"I'm fine," she told him. "Bitch ain't shit. She might as well be shooting toothpicks at me." She ripped the nail from her leg with little effort before slowly backing towards cover with her guns pointed at the jeep. None of the Dead Men had come out since their comrades had been killed. As soon as they did, they would be shot down.

"You lot are damn fine shooters," Svetlana called as they got back behind cover. "Haven't had a fight like this in too long. I _really_ should have come here sooner. I'm tempted not to kill any of you, now. You're just too much fun." The shooting resumed, then, as the remaining Dead Men positioned themselves for a gunfight. Their bodies were hidden from view behind the jeep while their heads and rifles were in prime position to shoot at the others. That put them at a bit of a disadvantage but Lucille managed to headshot one before ducking back down behind the Mercedes.

"Heads up, we got more of them," Wolf warned, pointing down the street. The jeep was barrelling towards them, full to the brim with Dead Men. From their vantage point, Wolf, Lucille and Revy had no cover to hide behind. They were surrounded. But the jeep did not stop. No, it looked to be avoiding the Mercedes altogether in an attempt to continue through the city.

"What the fuck?!" Revy asked, her eyes fixed on the vehicle. "That's Rock!"

"What?!" Wolf asked, popping out from behind cover foolishly in an attempt to get a good look at the jeep only to almost get himself killed.

"That was fucking Rock, in the back seat!" Revy reiterated. "I gotta go after him!"

"We have a bit of a situation here!" Lucille growled.

"You think I'm blind, Red?!" Revy retorted. "They could do anything to that shitforbrains. We haven't seen him since he was taken."

"Wolf, what's it look like back there?" Lucille asked. The assassin dropped down to the ground once more, coming to his knees with a discouraging expression on his face.

"I saw a pair of boots and the end of a trench coat," he told them. "So I'm guessing Svetlana is walking towards us right now. And she has the four other fuckers on her heels."

"Brilliant," Lucille exhaled. "Looks like we'll have to just shoot first, ask questions later. It's not going to be pretty."

"It never is," Wolf groaned.

"On my count," Lucille ordered them. Considering they were outgunned and outmanned, it did not seem likely all three of them would get out of this unscathed. But they were out of options. The ruling factions were occupied elsewhere and any of Roanapur's criminals were either indoors or fighting elsewhere. It was down to the three of them to get themselves out of this situation. "One," Lucille whispered.

"Come out, come out, wherever you are…," Svetlana hummed in her sickeningly sweet voice.

"Two," Lucille said, louder this time. They could all feel their hearts beating hard as they anticipated the bloodbath that was about to happen.

"Time to bite the bullet," Svetlana's voice came again. "Which one of you gets the honour of taking the first hit?" This was it, then. It was now or never. Lucille had barely opened her mouth when the sound of gunshots reached their ears. It startled them all. Wolf peered over the side of the car. Two of the Dead Men lay on the ground in pools of blood as Svetlana turned around to look for the source of the shots. A white sedan pulled up behind her and came to a halt, Rahul pointing the MP5 out the window. He gunned down the other two Dead Men without a second thought.

Svetlana seemed unsure of what to as Wolf, Lucille and Revy came to their feet and walked up behind her slowly. They had her right where they wanted her. There was no way out of this, no matter how badly she wanted there to be. Instinctually, she dropped the nail gun and whipped around, sending her fist towards Lucille. The Englishwoman caught the fist mid-punch and kicked Svetlana to the ground with one swift motion. The Russian coughed a few times before laughing.

"Goddamn! What a hell of a fight," she wheezed. "So…you have me. What are you going to do with me? I don't imagine you'd be open to tossing me a pistol? An old fashioned duel, one on one?"

"Not fucking likely," they heard Andromeda say as she strode up behind the grounded Russian. As Svetlana turned to see the source of the voice, a sniper rifle was pressed against her forehead. The shot tore a gaping hole through the woman's head. And so the Mad Dog was put down. As glad as Revy was that the Russian lay dead, she rushed towards the silver jeep and hopped in.

"The fuck do you think you're going?" Andromeda asked venomously. Revy just started the engine.

"After Rock. You got a problem with that, G.I. Jane?!" Andromeda didn't even know who Rock was. She decided not to confront Revy for fear of beginning a pointless argument.

"Find us when you come back," Wolf told her. "Could use your guns against the Dead Men." Revy glanced at him for a second before chuckling.

"Yeah. Will do." She took off after the Dead Men. It wasn't exactly clear where they had gone, but it seemed likely they would be taking Rock outside the city. He was a prisoner, one they knew had people looking for him. As well as that, the road Revy had seen the jeep turn onto went out towards the outskirts of town. That narrowed down his location to Lucille's warehouse or another town. Seeing as the nearest town was unnecessarily far away, she decided to head for the warehouse. Sure enough, the other silver jeep was parked just outside. Revy hopped out of her own vehicle and left the door open, taking her Cutlasses in her hands. The warehouse had been left open. That was foolish. Now, it would be even easier to rescue Rock. She could hear voices from inside as she moved in.

"…probably beat you for it," a woman said. Revy made her way into the main hall, making sure to keep to the shadows. "He can get pretty angry when he's disobeyed. And you really picked the wrong time to go against his wishes." Revy raised her Cutlasses as she prepared to fire at the four Dead Men in sight.

"Yep, now all we gotta do-" She pulled the triggers of her weapons four times. Rock's captors went down like sacks of coal, their own blood staining the floor. Rock himself looked momentarily bewildered until Revy holstered her guns and stepped from the shadows. He looked incredibly happy to see her, then.

There was a strange moment between them as an air of solemnity and calm swept into the warehouse. Revy took a moment to process the fact that she had Rock back, that after the time he had spent as Hunter's hostage, he was finally back. She did not know how to react. She just stood there in front of him. Rock looked conflicted for a second before evidently deciding against his better judgement and launching himself at Revy, grasping her in a warm hug. She was taken aback by this, but ultimately gave in, wrapping her arms around him.

"Welcome back, partner," she whispered. It was a nice moment they shared, just standing there as the sun set outside and darkness wept in over the land as night finally fell. Then, Revy did something Rock should have expected, truthfully. She grabbed the front of his shirt and threw him to the ground, crouching down beside him. "You got kidnapped _again?!_ Are you fucking _trying_ to piss me off?!"


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19: The War Of The Mafiosos

The scene was complete and utter carnage as the sun went down and darkness swept in over the land. What was largely considered the main street of Roanapur, with a slew of brothels, casinos and drug dens on either side of the road, was now a warzone. At one end, the Triad and Hotel Moscow had their forces positioned behind a row of cars and trucks that served as a barricade. On the other, further down towards the coast, the Dead Men were using a similar tactic, their armoured jeeps keeping them protected as they fired mercilessly at their enemies.

Most of the neon lights that once dotted this street and cast their light across the road now lay in pieces alongside the scraps of metal and shattered glass that now littered the road. Balalaika could not see Hunter. She stood proudly behind one of the trucks her people were using as cover, watching her enemies like a hawk for any sign of their leader. But there was none. He hadn't joined his people, at least not yet. Chang stood with her, though he had fired his guns a few times already. Several bodies were bloodied and broken in the road. The fighting had been going on for some time, but only ten minutes ago had the warring factions come to a halt in this street. Augustus returned from his position behind one of the cars and walked up to Balalaika, a Kalashnikov in his hands.

"Still no sign," he told her between heavy breaths as Chang took his place and proceeded to gun down two Dead Men. "I thought his car would have shown up by now, but we haven't seen him."

"That's troubling," Balalaika mulled. "And unbelievably frustrating. Keep an eye out." She called on Boris, then, who made his way over to her. "Have your scouts reported anything?"

"Nothing, Kapitan," he told her. "At least no sign of Hunter. There've been reports of fighting elsewhere in the city. I'm told Lagoon Company were involved."

"Of course they were. I didn't want to have to call on them, but it seems we have no choice. Send for them as soon as you can." Four-Leaf had his allies brought into the city already. He was ready to serve the ruling factions and he had manpower and weaponry that would be invaluable now. But the Mob were occupied elsewhere, fending off miscellaneous hunting parties of Dead Men. That would have to wait. They needed to be brought here as soon as possible.

(*)

"You ready to move, Benny-Boy?" Dutch asked as he grabbed his shotgun and the keys to the car, stuffing them into the pocket of his sleeveless jacket. Benny emerged from the other room, slipping on his glasses.

"About as ready as I'll ever be," he said mournfully. Neither of them were looking forward to this. They had hoped to stay out of the fighting, at least until the worst had passed. But Balalaika had called on them. They weren't going to refuse, no matter how much they wanted to. It sounded bad. The Dead Men weren't exactly winning, but they did not appear to be going anywhere either.

The warring crime bosses had reached an impasse, one that would only be disparaged by the assistance of the Mob. The two men hopped into the car and took off towards the Ramsap Inn. That was where Four-Leaf and his people had been staying, where they had been ambushed earlier. Now, they were pinned down and their only ticket out was Lagoon Company. "How bad is it?" Benny asked after a few seconds of silence.

"Well, from what Boris told me, they have the whole street on lockdown," Dutch told him. "No sign of Hunter yet, but his people are doing everything they can to piss Balalaika off."

"That's brave," Benny suggested. "Or stupid."

"A bit of both, at this point. They're not exactly some random gangsters. They've proven time and time again how dangerous they are. Sounds like they could really use Four-Leaf down there." As soon as they pulled up outside the Inn, they spotted around ten Dead Men firing at the shut doors of the building and twenty more dead on the ground. The Mob must have been inside. While they had more people, they had been ambushed unawares and their enemies were certainly better equipped.

Dutch wasted no time. He cocked his shotgun and mowed down three of them with one shot. The door of the Inn flew open as soon as the firing stopped and fifteen angry Irishmen emerged with handguns and immediately opened fire on the Dead Men. They had all been gunned down in seconds. Four-Leaf showed himself a moment later, his shillelagh in one hand and a customised M1911 in the other. He holstered the gun and shook Dutch's hand.

"Thanks for that," he told him gratefully. "I really owe you one. Balalaika's man sounded urgent on the phone."

"Yeah, she's in a bit of a pickle alright," Dutch joked. "Where are the rest of your guys?" Four-Leaf was silent for a second as he exchanged a concerned glance with one of his men.

"This is it, Dutch," he said sadly. Upon closer inspection, it became clear that some of what Dutch assumed had been the slaughtered Dead Men were actually members of Four-Leaf's Mob. The man promised he could have thirty people at the ready for this war during his meeting with Balalaika, but it seemed half of them were dead already. There was no telling how Balalaika would react to that. But it wasn't Dutch's concern. All he had to do was get Four-Leaf and his people to the main street safely.

"You got a car?" he asked. "Or two?" There were fifteen men here and the ruling factions could seemingly use every one of them.

"We do," Four-Leaf confirmed, gesturing to his men. "They'll follow us. We need to get to where Balalaika is."

(*)

It was not a pretty sight as the white sedan pulled up at the end of the street. Balalaika's people were up ahead, it seemed, as Wolf came to a stop. The jeep behind him did the same.

"Jesus Christ," the assassin moaned. "It's like the Black Marchers all over again."

"What's the game plan?" Lucille asked, readying her M14. They were not particularly eager to join the fighting, but they couldn't just sit her either. Even if Balalaika did not want them to interfere, she was in no position to refuse their aid. Revy beeped the horn of the jeep behind them impatiently.

"Real bundle of sunshine, that one," Andromeda joked. "But we can't just sit here. We need-"

"To the right!" Roberta exclaimed suddenly. None of them had time to react as the unseen car rammed into the side of them. Even as they tried to regain their composure, they could not see who it was that had hit them. But they had a fair idea.

"You prick!" they heard Revy scream before her Cutlasses began shooting. Once the smoke cleared, Wolf peered out the window to see Hunter in his Dodge Challenger. Even with the combined shooting of Revy and Rahul, the crime lord remained unharmed. He blew the horn a few times, likely to get the attention of Balalaika. Wolf kicked open the door and spilled out onto the road, reaching for his Desert Eagle as he clambered to his feet. Hunter pulled away and began to drive off in the other direction. That was not a random act of terror, he wanted their attention. He was leading them away from the fighting.

"Wolf, get in!" Revy called as she hopped back into the jeep. The assassin did as he was told, rolling down the window as the others rushed forward.

"What the fuck do we do?" Andromeda asked anxiously. While most of them could fight, Usagi and Roberta were still present. They needed to be kept out of the danger.

"Tell Balalaika to follow us," Wolf instructed them. "Then get indoors. I have a feeling this isn't going to go too well."

(*)

Hunter snatched up the radio and pressed in the side of it.

"Tedeski, pull a squad out of there," he commanded. "Bring them to the street outside the steelyard where Kepler died. If these fuckers fall for this, I want you guys to take them all out in one swift motion."

"You got it, boss," the man replied on the other side. Hunter laid the radio down on the seat beside him and continued on towards the steelyard. His people had fought well. They were doing a better job than even he anticipated at holding back the enemy forces. But it was time to end this once and for all. Wolf, Roberta, Revy…they were all there when he rammed the car. They would all follow. And if Balalaika had noticed, like it seemed she had, she would follow as well. Hunter just hoped the squad he requested would arrive in time. Then, when his enemies thought they had him, he would have them all gunned down. Each of the people he had been seeking would all die before his eyes, like he hoped.

He pulled in at the side of the steelyard and exited the car, pulling on the spiked glove and walking out to the middle of the road. This was risky. If his enemies got here first, they would no doubt gun him down without a second thought. But he had to take that chance. If that happened, he would stall them, with either words or bullets. He didn't use guns much, but he still had a customised Luger holstered inside his jacket. He would have no qualms about using it if he was forced to. He could hear a car engine behind him. The engine shut off before he heard people step out. "Boss, you alright?" Tedeski asked, rushing forward.

"Get inside," Hunter ordered, ignoring his question, his eyes fixed on the road he had come from as he waited for the others to arrive. "Turn on your laser sights. I want these cunts to see you before they die. Nobody fires a shot until I give the order, you understand?!"

"Got it," Tedeski answered obediently, though he sounded a bit startled. Without hesitation, the five Dead Men that had come to their boss's aid ran inside and barrelled up the stairs. They were pointing their rifles out the window in seconds. One of Hunter's jeeps appeared on the end of the street, then, flanked by a car he did not recognise. As the two vehicles came to a stop, he spotted Wolf and Revy emerge from the jeep. Balalaika and three of her soldiers were not far behind. They all came forward, their weapons at the ready.

"I wouldn't if I were you," Hunter called to them, pointing to the second story window to his right. Red dots instantly appeared on the chests of each of the people ranged before Hunter. They all exchanged glances.

"This has gone on long enough!" Balalaika roared across at him. "Stand down, Hunter. You've lost."

"I beg to differ," Hunter argued, again gesturing to his people. "I think that once I give the order, you all die." He began pacing form side to side then as he spoke to them. "I think that I have you right where I want you. I agree with you, Balalaika. This _has_ gone on long enough. Every single thing I've done has either failed or been avoided somehow. You are still standing, no matter what I've done. So now…I'm gonna kill you all myself." Hunter walked over to his car, slowly, never taking his eyes from Balalaika. He reached inside and produced the radio from before, raising it to his mouth. "Keep them alive. Terminate the Russian soldiers." Without missing a beat, the three Hotel Moscow enforcers were killed with precise headshots. Then Balalaika was struck in the leg, bringing her to her knees. She roared in pain for a moment.

Next was Revy, the shot tearing through her abdomen and knocking her back into the jeep she emerged from moments before. And finally, Wolf was sent tumbling to the ground with a shot to his shoulder. Hunter dropped the radio, then, and started walking forward. "I warned you," he mocked them. "I really did. But you just wouldn't listen. You're a tough girl, Balalaika. I'll give you that. But look at you now. You're on your fucking knees, bowing to me like you should have been since day one. You are _so_ gonna regret crossing me in a few minutes."

He came to a halt before the grounded Balalaika and raised his fist into the air. The moonlight caught the steel of the spikes, sending a sprinkling of light across Balalaika's scarred face. "And look at this, we got more visitors!" True enough, a second silver jeep drove up behind Balalaika's car and stopped. Two Dead Men emerged, one holding Roberta, one holding Chang. The two of them were put on their knees beside Wolf and Revy. "Ain't this nice? The war is still raging, that's for damn sure. But our people aren't going to turn away from that fight anytime soon. So we got time. We got loads of time…" He turned back to Balalaika, then, and knelt down in front of her.

"You have no idea what you're doing," the Russian woman told him firmly. There was no fear in her face, no uncertainty. Only anger and resistance. "You w _ill_ regret this. I promise you."

"Do you, now?" Hunter asked. He studied her for a few moments before rising to his feet. Then, he grabbed the front of her top, pulled back his arm and launched his fist into her face, the steel spikes tearing into her flesh. The screams of protest from the others were drowned out by Balalaika's roar of pain. Her blood fell in generous droplets to the ground. "How about now?" Hunter asked with a sickening smile. "Huh? You want to test me? Do ya?!" He punched her again, harder this time. A few more of those and she would be dead. Hunter dropped his fist then and grabbed Balalaika's chin like a father would do to his daughter. "Don't worry, sweetheart," he whispered softly. "It'll be over soon. Then, Chang is next in line." Balalaika opened her mouth as if to say something before spitting blood in Hunter's face. He frowned at that, wiping the residue from his skin. He grabbed the shoulder of Balalaika's jacket, then, and proceeded to drag her roughly along the ground towards his car. "We're just going to have to make this more interesting, then. I'll be right back. If I'm not, we'll just see how tough ya'll really are."

"You won't see anything," Balalaika wheezed. Hunter dragged her to her feet and slammed her against the side of his Dodge, then.

"You really want to test me?!" he asked before he noticed something had fallen from the inside of Balalaika's jacket. He looked down, peering through the darkness to see what it was. It looked like a walkie-talkie. Before Hunter could even reach for it, he heard the door of a several cars open. He turned around only to see Dutch, Four-Leaf and fifteen Irish Mob members open fire on the second story window where the Dead Men had been. Dutch proceeded to wipe out the two Dead Men that had taken Chang and Roberta. Once all of Hunter's people had been killed, Four-Leaf stepped forward and placed both hands on the top of his shillelagh.

"Top o' the mornin' to ya," he said cheerfully. Hunter's breathing began to falter and his grip on Balalaika loosened as he took in the reality of what had just happened. The plan had been to take his foes here, keep them obedient with the guns of his men, and kill them one by one. Now, instead, he was alone, surrounded by enemies. He let Balalaika go completely, then, and slowly walked backwards towards the opposite end of the street as the others all came to their feet. Even if he made a run for it, he would still be gunned down without a second thought.

"Easy does it," he said softly. The feeling of panic welling up inside him was indescribable.

"You're fucking dead!" Revy growled at him.

"There ain't nowhere to run, my man," Dutch concurred.

"Picked the wrong day to split off from your group," Wolf told him.

"This is where your organisation ends, Hunter," Chang informed him in a matter-of-fact tone. They were all advancing on him, now. Balalaika was at the front of the group, wiping blood away from her horribly scarred face. She came to a halt as Hunter did, only mere feet from him.

"Remember this day, Mister Woods," she told him as a droplet of blood trickled down from her beret to land on her pale forehead. "Remember it well. This was the day you utterly failed to do anything to help yourself. This is the day each and every one of your people cried out for help as they were cut down. And you could not help them. The day you thought you could take me on, you tied the knot of your own noose. Now, what's say we tie it around that neck of yours?!" All colour drained from Hunter's face and he swallowed hard as the others slowly raised their weapons. He looked around frantically for any hope of survival. There was none.

"Hey! Get in here!" The voice was familiar to Hunter. He turned to see the source, a smashed white sedan, the one he had rammed earlier. And Rock was in the driver's seat. Hunter wasted no time. He ran to the vehicle and hopped in as it took off. The angered cries of the others were audible over the sound of the engine. And several shots smashed the windows as Rock swiftly turned the corner.

"What the fuck was that?!" Hunter asked, an expression of fear still on his face.

"That was me saving your ass," Rock told him. "I told you I didn't want to see you die, that if you stayed here you would. Well…this is me trying to avoid that." Hunter looked genuinely moved by that. He was at a complete loss for words as Rock continued onwards.

"I…don't know what to say," he muttered. "I tried to kill your friends. I kept you hostage. And you're saving me?"

"This way, you get to go home and nobody gets hurt," Rock told him. "Just promise me you won't come back here." Hunter laughed softly at that before offering Rock a warm smile.

"Not in a million years." The car pulled up outside the boatyard Hunter and Balalaika met in originally to exchange Usagi.

"There'll be someone in there," Rock told him. "They'll offer you safe passage out onto the water. After that, you're on your own." Hunter smiled once again before placing an affectionate hand on Rock's shoulder.

"Thank you, Rock," he said softly. "I mean it. You're…one hell of a kid. I knew it the second I spoke to you. Take care of yourself." He opened the door as he prepared to leave, hesitating for a moment. "And…I'm sorry for the grief I put you through. Truly."

"No apology necessary," Rock told him. "Just…do better in the future." Hunter smiled again and nodded, exiting the car and shutting the door. He made his way into the boatyard. It was dark tonight but Hunter definitely thought he spotted a figure up ahead, two cars behind them. As he came closer, it became apparent that it was a woman he had seen. Not just any woman, mind you, a nun with blonde hair and pink sunglasses. She offered Hunter a wide smile and placed her hands on her hips, her holstered gun in plain sight.

"Hi," she greeted him as he came to a stop a few feet from her. "Been a log night, eh?"


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20: Who Dares Wins

It was dead silent in the port as Hunter came forward and stopped about five feet from the nun. The two cars behind her were shrouded in darkness, obscuring their occupants from view. But Hunter was sure he would see them before the night was out.

"I'm, uh…I'm guessing you're not the 'someone' Rock was talking about," Hunter began, breaking the eerie silence that had fallen over them.

"Oh, I am," the nun told him. "But I'm not here for the reason you think. Name's Eda."

"Hunter. But I'm sure you knew that."

"Oh, I knew alright," Eda told him slyly. "There's a lot of things I know about you that few others do. You've been causing quite a stir while you've been here. Half the city has been shot to pieces while the other half shit themselves every time a squad of your Dead Men drive by. You must feel pretty good about yourself. It's not every day someone just shows up and puts the collective balls of Roanapur's leaders in a vice."

"Look, I'm gonna have to cut you off there," Hunter told her. "I came here to get out of this shithole and I'm doing so with or without you."

"No," Eda said calmly. "No, you're not." She took her gun from her holster then, but she didn't point it at him. She just waved it from side to side menacingly as if daring him to make a move. "I'm afraid I can't let you do that, Mister Woods. You made a damn good attempt at taking out the biggest players in the city. You came close, too. But I'm sorry to say that's as close as you'll ever come. Rock, he can't help you now. You know why? Because he's the one who came up with this plan in the first place." Hunter's face dropped as he realised what was happening. He did not want to believe it, as much as the evidence pointed to it.

"No," he denied her adamantly. "No, he wouldn't do that. He's just a kid. He saved me, for fuck's sake!"

"So he could bring you here," Eda told him. "He saved you from dying at the hands of Balalaika, yes. But only so he could orchestrate your death his way. You've been played, Hunter." He could not believe it. As rocky and antagonistic as his relationship had been with Rock at the beginning, he had truly come to believe that the young man held some deep respect and admiration for Hunter and the Dead Men. The way he spoke that day in Ulysses's apartment implied that Rock was neutral in this war, that he neither supported nor undermined any of the warring factions. Had it all been a lie, a web of fabrications spun to lull Hunter into a sense of ease and triumph while he was actually being led to his doom? Or did Rock mean what he said but decided to make a judgement call as the conflict came to a close, opting to have Hunter killed rather than risk letting him go? It probably did not matter anymore. As much as Hunter wanted to scream with rage, he didn't. He just laughed at the absurdity of the situation, at how easily he had been betrayed. Again.

"Just my fucking luck," he said to nobody in particular. "I was screwed. I'm man enough to admit it. These people, I thought I could take them on. Hell, if it wasn't for Rock and a few miscalculations on my part, I probably would have won. Rock….yeah, he fucked me. Whether it was what he said that distracted me from my mission or what he did that led me here, he did this. What a kid. You gotta give it to him. That boy…he'll build and destroy governments before he's my age." Eda chuckled.

"He's quite something alright," she concurred. "I don't know if he was playing you from the start or not. Hell, it's almost more impressive if he wasn't. Means he had less time to put his plan into motion. And he still succeeded. Where are your people now, Hunter? Out fighting a war you started."

"Balalaika started this," Hunter corrected her, an edge to his voice. He clearly did not take kindly to that assessment. While he was undoubtedly the reason this war was taking place, it had been Balalaika that started it when she refused to turn over Usagi that day in this very same yard. That almost made it worse in Hunter's eyes, that he had technically failed to quell an enemy force that trifled with him. It was the first and last time it would ever happen, of that he was sure. Whether that was due to Hunter's death or not was up to Eda. Or Rock. It seemed obvious that the outcome of this encounter had already been decided. "You might want to believe otherwise, but I wanted to avoid this. I asked for Hotel Moscow to turn Usagi over to me. She was my property, my responsibility. And I was refused that. Balalaika responded by putting a fucking bounty on my head. The gall of that bitch."

"Yeah, well, it doesn't matter now," Eda told him apathetically. "What she did or didn't do is irrelevant. What matters is that it's over. It's all done, every last bit. Your people are all dead. Kepler got his fucking throat bitten out, I hear. Rahul turned on you, same as that big guy, what was his name? Kells? And we can't forget Svetlana, now, can we?"

"Heh. I thought she'd be my ace in the hole. I assume she didn't make it, otherwise she'd be out there right now slitting throats for fun."

"She's dead, that's for sure," Eda confirmed. "Shot by Andromeda, the assassin you hired to do your bidding. Forgive me if I'm wrong, but there seems to be a pattern emerging here. A lot of the people you thought were loyal to you suddenly turned tail and changed sides once they got here. What does that tell you, Hunter?" The man in black did not answer. He just gritted his teeth as he anticipated where this was going. "Well, I could take a wild guess and say you aren't nearly as powerful or cunning as you think. You thought you had all those people in the palm of your hand. You thought they would die for you at a moment's notice. Maybe there was a time when that was true, but things change. That's not the case anymore. They turned on you because they saw the possibility of a better life. They started to think maybe you weren't as untouchable as you had them brainwashed to believe. And you know what, Woody Boy? They were damn fucking right."

Hunter swallowed hard, as if Eda's words caused him physical pain. He had spent years forging his organisation, building them from the ground up and conditioning them to be absolutely obedient and indebted to him for giving them food and shelter. But as much as he hated to admit it, Eda was right. There were many who loved Hunter, who would die for him because they genuinely cared about him, that was true enough. But the majority of his people remained loyal out of fear or some sense of respect they feel he was owed for giving them the opportunity to live at a time when they had no other prospects in life. They had turned on him either because they believed in the cause of his enemy or because they would jump at the chance to work for anyone else. And because of that, he had fallen. He reached into his jacket instinctually and produced his Luger, examining it momentarily. Eda instantly pointed her Glock 17 at his head.

"I wouldn't try it," she warned him. Even behind her pink sunglasses, he could see her deep blue eyes piercing him. They were not the eyes of some petty criminal who had spent years carving out a life for herself in this cesspool of a city. They were alert and analytical, like a soldier's or politician's. There was a lot more to this nun than met the eye.

"I don't plan on using it," Hunter assured her. "It's just a little security in case this goes south. Because, like I said…I plan on leaving this city. One way…" he gestured to his gun, "…or the other." Eda smirked.

"You're a funny one," she said then. "All these years, and you haven't changed a bit. You're still that uppity gangster from the USA." Hunter frowned when he heard that.

"You don't know me," he told her firmly. "Hell, you wouldn't even have been old enough to drink when I was back in the States."

"But I know about you," she went on. "I've heard a lot of things. You were quite the crime boss back in the day. You had everybody afraid of you. The Mexicans, the Jamaicans, the Irish…even the Italians wouldn't touch you, and they basically ran the fucking city. But then one day, you disappeared. Showed up in Hong Kong shortly after. Why was that? Why would you leave when you were basically in charge?"

"I'm not sure what you're getting at," Hunter told her evasively, the Luger twitching in his hand.

"Oh, I know you do," Eda retorted. "You know well why you had to leave. I know why. Langley knows. After all, it is two of their boys you killed. Like you said…just your fucking luck, right?" Hunter's eyes widened. He was coming to a conclusion about what Eda was getting at, but it was a controversial one. If what he thought she was saying was true, these other criminals must have had no idea. This was unbelievable news.

"Wait, you're-!"

"Well, it doesn't matter now," Eda cut him off, clearly not content to let him question her. That all but confirmed his suspicions. "You're here now, after years of running away from Uncle Sam. Looks like he finally found you. It's a shame, though. I was really looking forward to seeing how your war played out. Looks like I'll have to settle for watching you die instead." With that, she turned to the two parked cars behind her and whistled. For a moment, Hunter's heart skipped a beat as he anticipated the appearance of several men in suits and sunglasses. But instead, a woman emerged, heavily beaten and bruised but standing nonetheless. She held two kukri in her hands as she made her way over to Hunter's left, coming to a halt about six feet from him.

She was followed closely by a white-haired man in a black trench coat holding two Mausers and a short woman holding a chainsaw. They fell in beside the Taiwanese woman. The three bounty Hunters from Hunter's first meeting with Balalaika in this yard, how fitting. From the other car, Augustus came and went to Hunter's right, a hatchet in his hand. Andromeda was close behind with her sniper rifle, followed by Rahul with an MP5. The two lines of killers looked ready to end his life any second. But the door of the second car was still ajar. There was someone else in there.

It was safe to assume they hadn't heard Eda's speech in the cars, at least not entirely. If they had, they would have a lot of questions. "See these people, Hunter? You pissed them all off, one way or another. Shenhua on your left, she was subjected to Svetlana's fury. The Mad Dog's handiwork is still visible in her skin. The other two were worried sick when she went missing, and your Dead Men haven't exactly been the nicest to them. On your right, we have Rahul. His daughter was so afraid of you she left the fucking country. And you've caused the two of them nothing but pain. Then we have Andromeda. Can't say it's anything personal that she agreed to come along, but I don't imagine you were the most pleasant boss. And Kells…well, the tale he told me on the way here was tragic. Almost broke my little, black heart. Look at them all, Woods. They're the last thing you'll see." Hunter whipped around at the sound of commotion behind him. It was Rock. The Japanese man had entered the yard to witness his handiwork. "Ah, look who's come to watch the show!"

"I'm sorry it had to end this way," the young man told Hunter. Woods just smirked.

"No," he said quietly. "You're not." Without warning, one of Shenhua's blades sliced into the flesh of Hunter's leg with the speed of lightning, tearing open his trousers and sending a sprinkling of blood across the cold floor. Hunter dropped to one knee as he cried out in pain. Next was Lotton, who just sent a flurry of bullets into the American's chest. The force did not knock him down, but he was permanently short of breath after that. The bullets must have punctured his lungs. Then, Sawyer came forward and drove the teeth of her chainsaw into Hunter's left arm. The steel tore through his flesh until it met bone, causing him to drop his Luger.

Once that was done, Andromeda shot a precise bullet through his right hand, effectively destroying the spiked glove he waved in the faces of his enemies. Its steel spikes flew to the ground with a resounding _ding._ Fifth, Rahul let of three shots from the MP5, plunging into Hunter's other leg and forcing him down on both knees. He was screaming at the top of his lungs in pain, blood oozing from his mouth as he struggled to breathe. The sound and sight of it was horribly tragic. And finally, Kells stepped forward. He looked upon his former boss for a few seconds, but he did not say anything. Then, without warning, he struck Hunter across the side of the face with the hatchet, cutting open his cheek. There was a sizeable pool of blood gathering around Hunter as he screeched madly to the heavens, very real tears streaming down his face.

He was close to death as the sound of footsteps reached his ears, maybe five minutes away from breathing his last breath. Through the blurriness of his vision, he could spot a figure approaching from the cars, someone he did not recognise. But as soon as his eyes focused on her, he knew who she was. It was Lucille, it had to be. That beret, the way she walked, the look in her eyes…they had sent a soldier to execute him. The others hadn't been unlucky in their strikes. They intentionally kept him alive for this. Lucille raised her M14 and planted the cold metal of its barrel against his forehead as he moaned and cried, hoping for death to release him from this suffering.

"This is for Ulysses," the woman said to him before the shot rang out and his head flew backwards, pieces of bone and brain spilling from the hole in the back of his head. He slumped forward, still slightly upright as he knelt there in a pool of his own blood, dead at last.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21: Life In His Eyes

Lagoon Company didn't get the call until the afternoon that day. Balalaika hadn't been seen since the fighting. If the gunfire was anything to go by, the ruling factions had been warring with the remaining Dead Men until the early hours of the morning. Now, there were few to be seen. The ones that hadn't been killed and added to the piles of bodies in the streets had made an attempt to flee. They all failed. Hotel Moscow's soldiers gunned them down the second they tried to leave the city. One or two of them may have gotten away here and there but it did not matter. The majority of the organisation had been wiped out overnight.

That was a victory that had been a long time coming, a victory that would not have been possible if Hunter got away. After his execution, his body had been left in the boatyard, slumped over and covered in the smell of death. His people were no more, for the most part, and his efforts in the city had failed. Lagoon Company strode through the doors of Balalaika's office apprehensively that afternoon and took their seats across from the Russian Mafiosa. It was difficult not to stare at her face, given the fresh scars that covered a significant portion of her skin. The wounds cut deep and stretched across her skin to reach over to the burns she had had for years. She looked up from her desk and smiled politely.

"Glad you could all make it," she told them, clasping her hands on the desk and sitting up straight. Despite the carnage and bloodshed that had taken place the night before, only Boris was present. The other soldiers and enforcers were likely out in the city right now doing their best to clean up the mess that had been left in the wake of the Dead Men. "It's been a long night, I'm sure you know." There were bags under her eyes, faint amongst her scars but discernible. She hadn't slept, it seemed.

"Everything went off without a hitch, I take it?" Dutch asked, seeing as the others didn't seem too keen on speaking. Rock, in particular, averted his eyes from Balalaika's. He hadn't yet heard her opinion of what he had done, but seeing as he had been allowed return to the apartment and sleep unhindered, it was safe to assume Hotel Moscow wouldn't be coming after him anytime soon.

"That's putting it quite generously, Dutch," Balalaika told him, resting her head on one hand and shutting her eyes for a moment. She was obviously exhausted, more so than she had been in some time. It was not only this business with the Dead Men that had her like this, Rock suspected. It was far more likely that this last year and a half had finally taken its toll on her. She was tough and powerful, not indestructible. Assuming the city would have a period of peace after all this, she could finally rest and get her bearings.

Once she opened her eyes again, Lagoon all came to attention. "The majority of the night was spent clearing out the rest of these vermin from the city. They fought to the bitter end, but it did them no good. They were defeated in a matter of hours. Considering their boss was not around to guide them, it can be assumed their morale was lacking. Which brings us on to the next order of business…" Her eyes fell on Rock, then. He swallowed hard and squirmed uncomfortably in his seat. "I'd be lying if I said your actions weren't unexpected, Rock. There was a moment where my people were ready to shoot you on sight."

"I'm sure," he answered nervously.

"But in the end, you got the job done. We should have known you'd be orchestrating something bigger. It may have been unorthodox, but you made sure Hunter didn't get away. For that, you have my thanks."

"How big was the bounty you put on his head?" Dutch asked curiously.

"One hundred thousand," Balalaika told him. "And nobody has come to claim that money. I find it hard to believe the person who killed Hunter has no interest in the bounty. You didn't happen to see, Rock, did you?" Her tone suggested she knew Rock had, indeed, seen the person who killed Hunter. But she did not know for sure. In that regard, Rock refused to out Lucille.

"No," he lied. "I only followed Hunter once I heard the shot. Once I arrived in the boatyard, his body was all that was left." After Hunter's death last night, Revy was the one who came upon the scene and found Rock, ready to beat him to death for what she thought was a blatant betrayal. By the time she arrived, the others in the boatyard had gone. Rock fabricated a story that he had put the word out that Hunter would be at the port at that exact time, omitting the fact that he very specifically called Eda and instructed her to bring the others who were present for Hunter's execution. Revy seemed sceptical. She likely suspected Rock knew more than he was telling. But for the purposes of this meeting, she would remain quiet. If Balalaika knew the truth, she would likely not take too kindly to it.

"Such a shame," Balalaika groaned. "I suppose the only prudent thing to do is offer the bounty to the next best person. That person is you, Rock."

"Me?!" he asked, his voice squeaky and startled. The others looked equally shocked. "But I didn't kill him!"

"You did the next best thing," Balalaika informed him. "You tricked him into believing he could trust you, then you lead him to a place where he would be ambushed by who-knows. You did far more than you realise, Rock. Like it or not, the reason Hunter Woods is dead is because of your actions. For that, you deserve every cent of the bounty." Boris stepped forward, then, and dropped a duffle bag down in front of Rock. It was practically bursting at the seams. "Don't spend it all in one place. Not that you could if you wanted. The Dead Men effectively put a significant portion of Roanapur's people out of business, at least for a time."

"What about the Yellowflag?" Revy asked all too passionately. Considering everything that had happened, it was a given that they would be going for drinks tonight.

"As a matter of fact, I believe Bao is still in business," Balalaika told them, much to their surprise. It was entirely possible this stretch since the last time Bao's had been destroyed was the longest it had been open without seeing any significant damage. "He's very pleased, I hear."

"I'll bet," Benny weighed in. "If he had to fix up that bar one more time, he would have shot himself."

"So, that's it?" Dutch asked, then. "It's over?"

"Officially," Balalaika responded emphatically. "There are no more Dead Men, at least not in the city. I plan on making a trip to Hong Kong in the near future to stamp out whatever remains of his organisation there. But, yes, the fighting is over. I can't express my gratitude enough, Lagoon Company. Had you not come to my aid when you did, Hunter may have done more damage than I would have liked." Her hand traced one of the nasty scars on her face that Hunter's spiked glove had made. "I owe you one, Dutch."

"Follow through with our payment, and we can call it even."

"Consider it done," she told him. "But I've taken up enough of your time. I'm sure you all have places to be. Just another day in Roanapur, I suppose." With that, they rose and left the office, hopping into their car and driving away once the Russians had loaded up the car with duffle bags of money. Despite the threat the Dead Men posed to all of them and the mutual gain to be had from Hunter's demise, it was still a job Lagoon had been hired for. It was not the noblest pay they had ever come by, but they would not refuse it. Rock, in particular, had earned a generous sum for himself.

"So, Rock," Revy began, propping her feet up on Benny's seat. "With all that cash, you must be feeling pretty generous, huh? I take it drinks are on you tonight."

"You just got paid and you're leeching off me?!" Rock asked with feigned offense.

"Hey, that ain't no small sum you just got," she reminded him. "I doubt you'll spend it yourself."

"I'm gonna have to agree with her, Rock," Dutch said from the driver's seat. "You made out pretty well back there. And I know we'll be making a trip to the Yellowflag tonight. How about it?"

"Alright," Rock told them, conceding. "But it won't be the bounty on Hunter's head I'll be using." They all turned in their seats slightly at that.

"Is that so?" Benny asked, adjusting his glasses. "You have something better to do with it?"

"Yeah," Rock said simply, looking out the window. "Yeah, I think so." The evening was fast approaching, now. Lagoon made their way to the Yellowflag just as the sun was setting. It was unsurprising to learn that the bar was packed with all manner of criminal, many claiming they had been at the forefront of the fighting a night before. They were all lying. As soon as Lagoon made their way up to the bar, Bao eyed them suspiciously.

"I just learned the last of those Dead Men got taken out," he said to them. "To me, that was the last chance that something was gonna happen to my bar. You four ain't planning on changing that, are you?"

"We're just here for drinks, Bao," Dutch assured him. "You can relax. Way I see it, your bar is safe for the foreseeable future."

"Good to hear." As Rock laid down his cash on the bar and took a seat, he couldn't help but reflect on what had happened. Hunter was the enemy they had been pitted against from the beginning. He had been unimaginably dangerous and prepared to kill them all. He almost succeeded. Balalaika had come very close to death last night. Had it not been for Lagoon Company and Four-Leaf's people, Hunter might have succeeded in taking out the ruling factions. Why, then, did Rock feel some sense of loss, a twisted unfulfilling feeling inside him? He had always wanted to save people, to make a difference and help those in need. After a while, that desire faded and his outlook became far bleaker. The darkness overtook him, changing the way he looked at Roanapur. But recently, that old view had come back. He had been returning to how he had been so long ago, looking at this city with life in his eyes. Not quite to the same extent, but he had still come back from the shadows. As dark and unwarranted a thought as it was, he almost felt bad for Hunter. He promised the crime lord a way out, an escape from this city. And Hunter seemed genuinely grateful for that. That tore at Rock's heart. But it was done now. And Rock had made the right decision, even if he didn't feel like it.

"You're quiet, partner," Revy piped up once she noticed his unease.

"Am I?" he asked stupidly. "I hadn't noticed."

"Hey. We won, Rock. It's all over. This shit with the Dead Men…they're fucking gone. And I don't know how, but you had Hunter killed."

"Yeah," Rock mumbled. "I did. I tricked him into thinking he was going to get out of the city safely. But I knew he was going to die here. I had it all planned out."

"You did what you had to do," Revy told him adamantly. "No use fucking crying about it now." She took a drink of her rum then as he thought on what she had said. She was right, of course. Hunter was too dangerous and volatile to be left alive. This conflict would either end with Hunter's death or Rock's. Had the crime lord gotten away, there was no doubt in Rock's mind that Balalaika would have killed him personally. "You did good, Rock," Revy went on once she noticed his silence again. "You tried to save someone and instead you saved everyone." It made Rock happy to hear that. All he had wanted to do was to save people, to make a difference. Hunter may be dead, but everyone else was alive. Because of Rock's actions, because of his planning, Roanapur and its ruling factions had been spared along with those Hunter would no doubt have killed ruthlessly if left unhindered.

"You're right," he answered. "Yeah, you're right. Thanks, Revy." She just smirked and downed the rest of her drink.

"You got it."


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22: Departures

Unsurprisingly, Wolf heard a knock on his door early that morning, prompting him to hop out of bed, don his clothes and go to see who it was. The sight that he was met with when he entered the living room was comical. Andromeda, Lucille, Roberta and Rahul were all curled up in balls and splayed across couches and tables, fast asleep. They were all exhausted after everything that had happened. The rest they were having was well deserved. As Wolf opened the door, he came face to face with Rock. The Japanese man smiled politely, an eager look on his face. It was safe to assume he had come to see Usagi. She would be leaving later today and he likely wanted to say his goodbyes.

"Wasn't expecting you until later," Wolf told him, stepping aside to let him enter and shutting the door gently.

"I wasn't sure what time everyone would be leaving," Rock explained. "Is she still here?"

"Yeah, in her room," the assassin told him. They spoke quietly so as not to wake the others, though even if they were screaming at the top of their lungs, it seemed unlikely the rest would wake. "It's been one hell of a two weeks, huh?"

"That's putting it lightly," Rock joked. "How's everybody else doing?"

"Well, Chang stopped by last night to see how everyone was. He didn't seem any worse for wear, but I assume he'll have his hands full cleaning this shit up for a while. Four-Leaf seems to be settling in nicely. He's already absorbed a few of the local establishments into his protection rackets. As long as he doesn't cross paths with Hotel Moscow, he should be fine."

"And the rest?" Rock asked, gesturing to the sleepers. Wolf looked at them all, a solemn expression on his face as he scanned the room.

"Hard to say," he answered cautiously. "They've had a rough time of it, that's for damn sure. Roberta, in particular is…well, let's just say I don't think she'll be coming out of retirement again after this."

"I'm glad they're alive," Rock said then. "I wasn't sure they'd all make it. There was a time when I thought Hunter or even Balalaika might kill them, that they'd become casualties of the war. But they came out the other side okay."

"Yeah, it's something. God, I'm gonna miss them. Even Andromeda. She's one vicious bitch." He gestured to the three scars across his right eye, an injury nobody had seen fit to ask him about since it happened.

"She did that to you?"

"Oh, yeah," Wolf chortled. "Wasn't easy putting her on a leash. But I'm glad she was on our side for that fight. We really did something good." He stopped himself, then, and shook his head. " _You_ really did something good."

"Me?"

"Yeah, Rock. Hell, I was fit to kill you up until Lucille explained what went down that night. Hunter was screwing us all over. If you hadn't been putting your plans in motion, there's no telling what that maniac would have gotten away with." There was no denying that. It was still sinking in for Rock, the realisation that he had actually done it. His actions had been remarkable during the fighting, far better than anything he had accomplished before. The situation did not turn out perfectly. It rarely did. But as far as conflicts in Roanapur went, this war with the Dead Men ended better than any of them could have hoped, due in no small part to Rock and his abilities.

"Maybe you're right," Rock conceded.

"Don't 'maybe' me," Wolf spat jokingly. "Things haven't always gone according to plan for us, you know? This city…nothing ever ends on a happy note. Even when you win and get paid, it still feels like wading through a river of shit. But it's…kinda different now."

"This was better than we could have hoped for," Rock agreed. "It really feels like we made a difference. Even if we didn't…it's better now. You know?" Wolf nodded. It was a strange but welcome change that had come over them. In time, sure, things would return to the melancholy, dreary, tragic tone that seemed to be ever-present in Roanapur. But for now, they would enjoy this feeling of elatedness that Hunter's death seemed to bring. Things had changed since Rock had come to this city, quite drastically, in fact. Not only the situations and the city itself, but the people.

It was new and unfamiliar, to wade through these new feelings and thoughts. But Rock was happy, for the first time in a long time. He had finally come to a place where he was content with his life in this city. It wasn't the most glamorous or fulfilling existence, but the people were what he lived for. That very same sentiment had come to be adopted by Revy during Hunter's reign in the city, arguably the most outlandish character-shift of them all. It didn't take long before Andromeda woke. She was groggy and still tired, but adamant that she needed to leave. Wolf followed her outside as she gathered her things together and prepared to go home.

"It's been fun, Wolf, you know that?" she told him as she slung her rifle over her shoulder. "I'm almost glad you convinced me to go against Hunter."

"'Fun' isn't exactly the word I'd use."

"Oh, come on!" Andromeda pleaded. "You can't tell me you didn't get a blast out of taking out the Dead Men. And, let's face it, Hunter's death might be the best thing that's happened this year. At least for you, I imagine." Wolf chuckled.

"I'm just glad it's over, to be honest," he told her. "But, yeah, it was fun. Too fun. I might have to go live on a beach somewhere for a while just to get rid of my itchy trigger finger." That provoked a laugh from Andromeda. The smile faded, then, as she glanced around her.

"Well, I guess this is it. I gotta run. Look me up anytime you're in Eastport, Maine. We can shoot some motherfuckers together."

"That sounds like a date," Wolf joked. The female assassin raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"Well, unless you have a vagina between your legs, you can't offer me much." Wolf wasn't sure whether or not to laugh at that. Andromeda clearly elicited some joy from his discomfort. She slowly backed away from him, then.

"You take it easy, now aight? And sorry about the scars. They'll heal after a while."

"Tell that to my face," Wolf spat playfully.

"I just did," Andromeda retorted before turning away from him and starting towards the port. Wolf watched her walk away for a few moments before returning back inside. Usagi was up, now. It looked like she had just emerged from her room, judging by the expression on her face. Wolf decided to leave her and Rock alone. The two of them had been through a lot these last few two weeks and they deserved a moment to clear the air.

"I didn't expect to see you so soon," Usagi said in her hoarse voice. She cleared her throat in an attempt to rectify that, to no avail.

"I couldn't sleep," Rock told her. "And I knew you'd be leaving today. You and your father."

"Oh, yes," Usagi mumbled. "We plan to return to Hong Kong this evening." There was an awkward pause that threatened to go on for far too long if neither of them spoke soon. "I wanted to thank you, Rokoro."

"What for?" Rock asked, a bit confused.

"For…well, everything. These last few weeks…they've been rough for me." That was underplaying it a little. "I was in a bad place for a while. Even before I came here, I was miserable. If it's possible, I think you made my life a bit brighter. You were there when I needed someone to talk to. And I'm very grateful for that, more than you know." That moved Rock more than he expected it to. He cared deeply about Usagi, despite how short a time he had known her. He would be sad to see her go.

"You're welcome," he told her simply. "You're a good person, Usagi. I'm just glad I was able to help give you your life back."

"You did more than that," she said, stepping forward apprehensively before throwing caution to the wind and hugging him tightly. "If it hadn't been for you, Hunter would still be alive. My father and I would be forced to stay here and he would come back for us one day. Because of what you did, we can finally live in peace. Together." Rock hugged her back instinctually. That was one of his main concerns, that the Matsumotos would not be able to return to some semblance of a normal life. The fact that they could now return home and be free of the tyranny of Hunter warmed his heart.

The rest of the day went by slowly, though the inevitable time came when Rahul and Usagi prepared to leave. Lucille and Roberta were left to rest in the apartment while the others headed down to the pier. There was a boat waiting to take Usagi and her father back home. Augustus Kells emerged from it when he saw them all approach. It pleased them that Balalaika had decided not to dispose of him once the fighting was done, as they suspected she would. Once they reached the pier, they all came to a halt, Wolf and Usagi a few feet further from the rest so they would not hear.

Usagi sighed deeply and turned to the assassin. "I can't begin to express my gratitude for what you've done for me, Wolf. I came here with no protection and little knowledge of how things worked here. Were the circumstances different, I would have been killed or taken back home by my father. But you helped me when no one else would, you kept me safe and refused to give me up when Hunter sent my father to retrieve me. And for that…I am eternally grateful." Wolf offered her a smile despite his blushing cheeks. He was never good with this sort of stuff, averting his eyes and breathing deeply to ease some of the awkwardness he felt. But despite this, he would miss Usagi greatly. She had been a massive part of his life since her arrival in Roanapur and he cared about her more than he ever thought he would.

"Ah, it was nothing," he told her dismissively. "I was happy to do it. What was I gonna do, throw you out on the street?"

"There are others here who would have," Usagi told him. "You…are not what I expected. You are an assassin, a killer like these others. But…you are different. Despite your ruthlessness, there is kindness in you that the rest in this city are not capable of. Or, at least, they weren't when I first came here."

"Thanks," he told her warmly. "I mean it. There were times when I could have turned you away, when I could have just ignored you and moved on with my own life. But I'm glad I didn't. I'm gonna miss you, Usagi." She smiled up at him, her big, beaming eyes gentle and endearing, before she seemed to remember something. Without warning, she reached to the crucifix around her neck, removed it, and handed it to the assassin. He wasn't sure what to make of this.

"Take it," she told him. "Your neck looks bare under that jacket, anyway. I want you to have it." Wolf was hesitant, but it was clear this was important to Usagi. And he couldn't argue that it would please him to have a reminder of her once she left. He took the necklace from her hands, then, and draped it around his own neck. It looked quite snug there. Rahul walked up to them, then.

"You ready, Usagi?" he asked. His daughter nodded before hugging the assassin without warning. He reciprocated without hesitation. Once she released herself from him, she snatched up her bags. Kells came up to them shortly.

"I want you to know how thankful I am, Wolf," Rahul said genuinely. "You kept my daughter safe. I know better than anyone how dangerous this city can be. The fact that you watched over he means more to me than anything."

"I second that," Kells weighed in, placing an affectionate hand on Usagi's shoulder. She smiled up at him proudly, happy to be reunited with the one member of the Dead Men who had been exceptionally kind to her during his time under Hunter. "This girl's seen enough shit for all of us. You have our thanks for taking good care of her."

"Don't mention it," Wolf told them. "Just take care of each other."

"We will," Rahul assured him. "There's always a place in our home for you, Wolf. If you're ever in the area…" He let it hang for a moment.

"I'll look you up," he said, smiling. With that, they boarded the boat and gave one last wave to the city before taking off towards home.

"You okay?" Rock asked, looking at the solemn Wolf. The assassin then donned his usual expression of confidence, ignoring the obvious sadness that plagued him.

"I'll be alright," he said coyly.

"You will be," Rock agreed. "Even if it doesn't seem like it. You can move on with your life, now. You can live knowing that Usagi is safe with her family. Because of you." Wolf glanced at the Japanese man and smiled.

"You don't get appreciated enough, Rock, you know that?" Rock looked back out towards the boat, a now tiny dot on the horizon.

"Yeah. I know."


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23: Out Of The Ashes

The grass on at the edge of the hill was blackened and covered in ashes and partially burned logs, even after these months since the bodies had been burned. Lucille stood there, surveying the scene that had at one point been a sort of funeral for her dead friends. It still reeked of death and fire on this hill. They had been good men, the soldiers that had been burned, driven by a sense of morality and justice that had no place in this city. And yet, Lucille was still alive, possessing those same ideals that spelled doom for her allies. True, Balalaika likely knew she was still alive, meaning she would probably look for her at some point. For that reason, Lucille was seriously considering her options. Her time in this city had run its course, whether she liked it or not. Perhaps some time away would do her good.

Wolf came up behind her slowly. He hadn't been called there, nor had Lucille told him where she was going. She was just gone when he returned to the apartment. This seemed as likely a spot as any for her to visit. That raised the question of how often she came here. The assassin fell in beside her.

"Should have known you'd find me," Lucille said, shifting her weight.

"You're not nearly as stealthy as you think you are," Wolf teased her. "I assumed you'd come here, especially now after everything. One hell of a ride we had, huh?"

"You can say that again. I'm just glad it's over, to be honest. And that Hunter's dead at last." Wolf looked up from the ashes. He looked like he wanted to say something but was struggling with the notion of actually saying it.

"Did you kill Hunter?" he asked finally. Lucille did not react, instead fixating her gaze on the ground and giving no clue as to whether she had or hadn't heard the question. "Rock told me he called Eda, told her to bring in a few others. You were one of them, weren't you?"

"I was," Lucille answered him calmly, still not looking at him. "We…all took our shots at him. When he was on his knees, I ended his miserable life. Someone had to. So I took the opportunity."

"I thought you would. If there was a chance to get a killing blow on him, I didn't imagine you'd pass it up." There was a soft thud, prompting Lucille to snap to attention. She only realised now Wolf had been carrying a duffle bag, which he just dropped at her feet. She looked at him confusedly. "Rock gave it to me. Wouldn't tell me what it was, just that it belonged to you." Lucille apprehensively unzipped the bag and peered inside at the dollar bills.

"What on Earth?" she breathed, wading through the wads of cash.

"The bounty," Wolf said then as it hit him. "Damn, Rock's a braver man than me, giving up cash like that."

"I'm…not quite sure what to do with this," Lucille said then, zipping up the bag and coming to her feet again. "It's very generous. Thank Rock for me when you get a chance." Something in her voice must have concerned Wolf if his suspicious gaze was anything to go by. He narrowed his eyes and held his glare on Lucille before looking back at the ashes.

"Can't you thank him yourself?" he asked, then. Lucille sighed and rubbed her eyes.

"No," she answered. The disappointment on Wolf's face was brief, but very real. "I'm not going to be around. I plan on leaving the city tomorrow." Wolf did not respond immediately.

"Where will you go?"

"Back to England," she answered. "For a while, at least."

"Isn't that a bit dangerous?"

"Very. But I'm confident I'll remain hidden. I plan to return someday. I just need this time to clear my head, you know?"

"Yeah, I understand," Wolf told her. "Might be good to get away from here, especially for you. I don't think extended periods here do you any good." Lucille raised an eyebrow and smirked at that comment.

"Is that so?" she asked, narrowing her eyes. "I know this is sudden, and perhaps I should have mentioned it earlier. But I wasn't sure if I was even going to leave until today."

"When will you be back?" Wolf asked simply. In truth, he wasn't sure he would even be around when she returned. The life he lived always had an element of danger. If he was not killed, he may well decide to leave the city as well. But that was neither here nor there.

"Hard to say," Lucille told him honestly. "However long it takes to clear my head, I suppose." They both fell silent, then. Lucille snatched up the duffle bag with one hand and laid the other on the assassin's shoulder as she turned to leave. "You'll be alright, Wolf. I know you will. Take care of yourself, alright? You better still be kicking when I come back." Her hand lingered on his shoulder for a moment. He smiled in response before she started towards the road. She would be out of the country in less than an hour.

Wolf remained on the hill for a time, taking in the air and the atmosphere of the city that stood nearby. It still baffled him to think about how far they had all come. Months ago, they were all dysfunctional, volatile killers, dead men and women walking with no purpose or hope. And now, their lives had changed, hopefully for the better. Another threat to Roanapur's safety had been quelled, possibly the worst one yet. It seemed like the city would be safe now. Permanently, if that was even possible. One day, Roanapur would meet its end, for whatever reason. But for the foreseeable future, it would stay standing, stronger than ever. For that, Wolf was truly glad, given how he blamed himself for its recent plights.

"You must be cold," the voice came from behind him. It was Roberta. It didn't surprise Wolf in the slightest that she tracked him here. She strode up beside him and came to a stop, bending down and picking up a fistful of ashes in her hand. They fell through the gaps in her remaining fingers to blow lightly in the wind.

"How are you?" Wolf asked. It was no secret that these last two weeks had been exceptionally trying for Roberta. She was an unbelievably powerful woman, a survivor who pushed on through the worst. But the tragedy of life was that everyone had a breaking point, even the strongest of warriors. Roberta had reached hers. Even her walk was slow and uncertain. It went unsaid that this had been her last outing. After today, she would return to Venezuela to live in peace, like she intended to long ago. For that, Wolf also blamed himself. He was the one to call her out of retirement, after all. She would have reached her breaking point sooner or later anyway, but the assassin could not help but feel his actions sped up that process.

"As good as can be," Roberta told him, coming to her feet and exhaling a long, drawn-out sigh. "I should be asking you that," she added with a chuckle. Wolf smirked.

"I'm alright," he answered. "I came out the other end no worse for wear."

"You always do," Roberta told him. "You've changed, Wolf. Do you know that?" He forced a smile. Of course he knew. He was the first to notice.

"Yeah," he answered quietly. "I know."

"That's not a bad thing. You're kindness is not weakness, that's an important distinction to make. You took care of that girl. You took care of all of us during this bloodshed. It does not diminish your ability to tear your enemies apart."

"That's what I tell myself," the assassin confided in her, his eyes fixed on the ashes as the breeze that came in took them off towards the ocean. "I don't know if I believe it fully. But, yeah, thanks." There was a brief silence between them as Wolf worked up to asking his next question. "What will you do now?"

"I must return home," she said carefully, clearly under the assumption that the Wolf would not take kindly to that. He had always been a loner, someone who did not get close to anyone and operated without allies. But recent events had changed that. Despite the short time he had shared his home with others, he quite clearly enjoyed it to the point where he almost became dependant on others in his life. That was a first for him and it would take some time before he got over the sudden departure of those he cared about most in this city. It reassured Roberta to know that he could still rely on his friendship with Lagoon Company. "I have been away from the Young Master for too long. It's time I returned to him and stayed by his side."

"That makes sense."

"The offer is still open," Roberta told him when she noticed his silence."

"What?"

"The Young Master," she explained. "He offered you a place with us after Godswrath. I know you would always be welcome with us. You need only ask." Wolf smiled and nodded, doing his best to hide how much that actually meant to him.

"I know," he told her. "And I appreciate it. Maybe one day I'll actually take him up on that offer." Roberta nodded, but it was clear she did not wholly understand the assassin's desire to stay in Roanapur.

"This city has seen much destruction, but it seems that it can finally take a moment to breathe," she began. "You told me you felt like you were responsible for Roanapur. You thought your actions were what lead it into danger time and time again. But…perhaps you don't have to anymore. This city has been through a lot and you have been there every time to protect it. Whatever you owed to Roanapur, that debt has been paid. You have no obligation to keep it safe anymore."

That made sense to Wolf. Truthfully, he genuinely believed the city would actually enter a state of peace after all this time. Like she said, that effectively relived him of this duty he had set for himself. But his tie to the city went beyond that. Not only did he have people here he cared about that also cared for him, but there was a piece of him here. His time in Roanapur had made its mark on him. He would probably leave one day, like everyone else, but for now he would remain, regardless of the danger.

"I get that," he answered then. "Maybe I'll leave some day. You'll all see me again. You can't get rid of me that easy." That provoked a smile from Roberta. "Take care of Garcia, alright? He's a good kid. He's lucky to have you with him." Sentimentality was not something in abundance with the many criminals and lowlifes that entered Roanapur. In fact, it was in shorter supply here than anywhere else on Earth. But recent events had changed that fact. Not only that, but Wolf and Roberta had grown close since their initial encounter. She wrapped her arm around him and he reciprocated.

"Don't fall to this city," she told him softly. "It is treacherous, here. Hold on to what makes you who you are." She released him, then. His hand went to Usagi's necklace draped around his neck as he ran the crucifix in between his thumb and finger. Roberta subconsciously did the same with her own upon noticing this.

"I'll try," the assassin told her. "This city won't break me." With one more smile, Roberta turned and left him there to think on what had happened. And so he was alone again, like he had been so often in the past. It was a tragic fate he had come to grips with long ago, but one that seemed so much crueller now. But he would survive, like he always did. Even now, despite his many flaws and inner conflicts, he was strong and he would move on, like the wolf that he was.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24: The Black Lagoon

Dark, cold and miserable. These were the words that once described Roanapur. It had long been a city built on the corpses and deaths of thousands. Its very walls were erected by survivors of yearlong miseries and countless bodies were buried beneath the ground, long forgotten or hidden well enough so that they would never be found. This was the place Rock had come to call home, this was the city Revy recently realised she hated. But it was also where the two of them had come to consider their refuge from the outside world. They were outcasts, like the rest of Lagoon Company, the rest of the city.

Everyone here had either been expelled from the rest of the world or they fled willingly, desperately trying to find their place in it. That search led them all here. And for better or worse, they had all been kept here by their own personal bonds or the influence of more powerful players. All of them, the walking dead, men and women who seemingly had no purpose in life other than to take what they could get and give nothing back. Or at least, that had been the way of things at one point. Recently, the city and indeed its people had undergone a drastic change. Roanapur had been through more than its fair share of bloodshed and near destruction during the last year and a half or more. More than once, it had come close to being toppled. But the people came out on top, time and time again, banding together so uncharacteristically that any who would do them harm stood no chance at all.

The city had evolved beyond recognition, whether it showed or not. Part of that had rubbed off on the people that made their home here. Revy, for one, could ignore her own inner workings no longer. She had done so for longer than she cared to remember. Ever since she came here, she convinced herself that she was impenetrable, a stone-faced killer with nothing to lose who enjoyed her life here. As time went on, her interactions with Rock and others she came to know put a halt to that mentality. She had been forced to take a step back and genuinely analyse herself, to try and figure out how her own mind worked. It scared her. For a long time. There were dark things dead and buried within her that she dared not disturb, however restless they were. It was not easy to confront them, that was a given. But it was better that she had. She had come out stronger for it, regardless of the evidence suggesting it would be too much to bear.

Revy was an incomprehensibly complex individual, one who broke long ago and never quite recovered. But she was healing, that much was certain. The people here, the people she secretly considered her own family…they made it all worth it. Dutch, Benny, Rock, they were all her own. Though they may not have known it, and though Revy largely denied it to herself for a long time, they meant a great deal to her. All of them. Especially Rock, the one person she had had the most ups and downs with. Even now, as she sat at the bar in the Yellowflag sipping her rum, the memory of her first meeting with him sprang into mind. It was less than agreeable, given the circumstances. How different it might have been if one or two factors had been changed, if it was someone else aboard that ship or if the disc they sought had been somewhere else entirely.

Revy was glad it had been Rock. It pleased her that he was in her life. Even that train of thought made her feel icky and uncomfortable. But it was easier to accept it now, nonetheless. And that was a good thing. Lagoon Company deserved the rest they were having. Granted, they had been to the Yellowflag an innumerable amount of times in their lives, recently being no exception. But after everything they had been through together, after what they had seen less than a week ago, this one night together was just the thing to round out the year and a half they were glad to put behind them.

"You're quiet, Revy." The voice was Rock's. Of course it was. A mix of annoyance and amusement filled Revy from top to bottom as she took in what he said. Some things never changed. She looked up from her glass and turned to face him.

"Go on, then," she grumbled, exasperation practically dripping from her words.

"What?"

"The lecture," Revy spat. "I sensed one coming. It's usually right about now you drone on about this or that." It was the same type of response Rock had come to expect, though less aggressive and softer than usual. Either Revy had just been worn down by Rock's constant prying or she was genuinely more agreeable to the idea of opening up than before. Or both. You never really knew with Revy, Rock had come to learn that.

"Not this time," he assured her, snatching up his own glass and downing it as Bao shuffled over lazily to refill it.

"You sure?" Revy asked, turning her whole body on the stool to face him and resting her head on her propped up arm. "I imagine you'd be disappointed if you couldn't scold someone every week or two."

"Is that so?" Rock asked coyly, suppressing a smile.

"Yeah. So, what, just checking up on me?"

"As good a time as any," Rock told her a bit more seriously. "It's strange to think that it's all over. The Dead Men are finally gone. Everything we've all been through…well, it's taken its toll." He fell silent for a moment as Revy watched him with increasing interest. "On all of us. I, um…I guess I just wanted to know how you were."

"Pffft, I'm fine, Rock," she blew him off. He wasn't really expecting much more than that, if he was honest. "You worry too damn much. Besides, I'm just glad Hunter is fucking dead. Still can't believe you did that." Neither could he, in all honesty. Rock had undergone perhaps the most drastic change of them all during his time here. There had been multiple occasions when he witnessed things now burned into his brain that he would give anything to forget. Other times, he had been so close to the horrors and depravities of this world that he genuinely wished he was dead to spare himself the torment. Not only that, but he had come close to the darkness on several occasions.

It began as a mild sort of experiment, a way of dealing with a job in the most productive, profitable way possible. Back then, there was no real threat to Rock's soul. He was always going to come out of it in one piece, whether his allies wanted to believe it or not. But that darkness within him began to grow and take shape the longer he was exposed to this world, Eventually, he fell, further than ever before. It took him over. And he almost didn't come back that time. That side of him was still there sometimes, like another, angrier, more sadistic Rock that longed to break free, that spoke to him on the darkest nights when he was alone with nothing but his thoughts. That twisted version of himself was always there, and would be until his dying day. It was that Rock that had largely fuelled the orchestration of Hunter's death. But it was the lighter Rock, the Rock Lagoon Company had come to know, that was in control. His experiences had been harrowing and dark, but he had come out stronger for it, and today, he was more similar to how he had been that day on the Asahi Industries ship than he had been every day after that. The old Rock was back, and both he and Revy appreciated that more than ever.

"Neither can I," Rock answered after an extended silence. "Part of me wished he could have survived. But I know there was no happy ending to that. He had to die."

"Don't be fucking stupid," Revy scolded him. "You did the right thing, partner. Whether you want to believe it or not. We're alive because of you, y'hear?"

"Yeah. Thanks, Revy." She smirked at him subtly before grabbing her glass and taking a slow, drawn-out sip, her eyes locked with Rock's the entire time.

"You got it," she said at last, setting the glass back down on the bar. "Ah, hell, you put a hell of a damper on the evening, Rock. Couldn't just let us get shitfaced in peace, huh?"

"Loads of time for that yet," Wolf interjected as he walked towards them from outside. He hadn't seen them for a bit, having been dealing with his own matters. But he wanted to see them, especially given how uncertain his future was. Perhaps he would awake tomorrow and see them again, perhaps not. He did not know. And for that reason, he made a point of joining them tonight.

"I sure hope so," Revy answered enthusiastically as the assassin grabbed a stool and sat himself down between Dutch and Rock.

"Wasn't sure we'd be seeing you again," the burly leader of Lagoon told him calmly. "Thought you might be gone to Venezuela, myself."

"What, and leave all you fuckers without saying goodbye?" Wolf joked. "Come on, give me little credit." Truth be told, he was tempted to join the Lovelaces. Their offer, like Roberta clarified, was still available. Still, nothing needed to be decided immediately. For now, Roanapur was Wolf's home. He would stay, however briefly. It seemed unlikely any more trouble would find Roanapur. Whatever personal tie he had to this city was severed when Hunter died. That, too, was something Roberta made clear to him.

"Speaking of the Lovelaces, I assume our resident maid is gone home?" Benny asked, a little more concern in his voice than was necessary. He was always overcautious. Despite the fact that Roberta had proved on numerous counts that she was no foe of theirs, he still evidently did not entirely trust her.

"Packed up yesterday. Although there wasn't exactly much 'packing' to be done."

"Can't imagine she'd be too good at packing with one arm, anyway," Revy snapped playfully.

"Hey, now," Wolf warned her, a smile on his face.

"Good to finally have this place back to normal," Dutch mused mournfully. He was never the sentimental type, nor did he ever show any indication that he cared about Roanapur a significant amount. But it was evident that this city meant more to him than he let on. He would be glad to return to the grind, for everything to settle down and for the old order of things to set back in after nothing but violence for far too long. "Been too long since I could walk out my own front door without getting shot at." Wolf frowned at that.

"Where do you think you are?" he asked jokingly. "That could literally happen any day of the week here. Dead Men or no Dead Men."

"Heh. True enough. Still, you know what I mean. It's been one hell of a ride, hasn't it? Didn't think Roanapur would ever see anything like this last while. Wasn't sure we'd all make it out for a while there."

"You said it," Benny agreed. "I'll finally sleep at night without waking up thinking I'm about to be shot by mercenaries or English soldiers. Be nice not to have bad dreams anymore, you know?"

"It's good to have this chance," Rock piped up. "To finally be free from danger. It's not often you see that in Roanapur. We got lucky."

"If by 'lucky' you mean 'Rock-saved-all-our-asses' then, yeah, I agree," Wolf exclaimed. Rock couldn't help but smile when he heard that, more humbled than anything.

"Still, we shouldn't waste this," he went on. He grabbed his glass from the bar and raised it. "Roanapur still needs help." The others all followed suit and raised their own glasses in unison. Wolf, however, hesitated for a second. He recognised the quote Rock had just used right away. After a moment of looking quite emotional, he composed himself and raised his own glass, his own personal toast to Ulysses, and a tribute to the experiences he had had with Lagoon Company. With one last smile, they clinked their glasses and the assassin looked Rock in the eye.

"Let's give it our best shot."


	25. Author's Note

So, here it is, after, what, three months of waiting? Damn, I need to get my act together.

So, yeah, Chapter 24 is finally out after a long ass wait and I'm so happy it's finally done. First off, I want to apologise to you all. I know a lot of you enjoy this story, and others enjoyed each of my Black Lagoon fics since way back when I wrote Wolf Den. Shout out to all of you guys and gals! But I understand many of you were probably waiting for this chapter, wondering if I was finished with this story and just forgot to change the status to "completed" or perhaps you thought I'd just abandoned it altogether. The truth is that a) personal life got in the way and b) I sort of lost interest in my own stories for a while there. I hope this chapter helps me get over what I can only describe as writer's block so I can get back into writing my own original stories. Head on over to FictionPress if any of you like my writing and want to read something that isn't fanfiction!

On another, more positive note, I just wanted to thank you all for sticking with me through these stories. I don't think I've ever had so much fun writing a series in my life, definitely not a fanfiction story, as I did while writing City of Ashes and City of Fire. It's been one hell of a ride, a ride I hope you all enjoyed as well. I found Black Lagoon back in May of 2015 when I saw bits of it and thought it looked pretty cool. I then watched it and discovered it wasn't 'pretty cool' and was, in fact, 'fucking amazing.' It has since probably become my favourite anime and one of my favourite works of fiction ever.

As shocking as this may be, I have never read the manga. (Blasphemy! BLASPHEMY! BURN THE WITCH!) After finishing the anime, I read issues 1 to 5 I think, maybe a little after, and I will read them all one day once I find the time. But I digress. Shortly after watching the anime, I started to get ideas in my head of characters and situations that had no real place in anything. Seeing as how I was in the middle of writing a couple of other fanfics at the time, I decided that was the most natural course of action. This might surprise you, but I initially wrote Wolf Den as a standalone story. It was going to be the one and only Black Lagoon fic I wrote and I sort of entertained the idea that if they ever did get back to making more episodes of the anime, Wolf Den would, in my head, be canonical and take place between Roberta's Blood Trail and the next story arc. That's stupid, of course, but what can I say.

After Wolf Den, I just had too much story left in me. There was still something I needed to write. I couldn't let Black Lagoon go just yet. There was still so much potential there and I loved BL far too much to just stop writing about it. This then led to Broken Saviours, the random and potentially confusing title I will explain in a bit. At some point, I decided the natural story of Wolf and the plights of Roanapur would form a trilogy and so The Final Hunt was born. It is, in my opinion, the best of the three, and the one I had the most fun writing. Coincidentally, it's also the most liked and reviewed(I think?) of my stories. I believe that has more to do with Rock going apeshit than anything else. It is admittedly awesome to see people play with the idea of Rock going bad.

As you can probably tell, I still wasn't satisfied with one trilogy and decided my stories and characters needed a bit more story. This lead on to the awful Lucille spin-off which I have grown to hate and then, at last, the piece de resistance, Dogs of War. I love that story a lot. The City of Fire trilogy has a special place in my heart. The characters, in particular, merge and function in a way that is far more appealing to me than in previous stories and the whole dynamic is just better in my mind. I love it to bits.

I also wanted to mention the few little easter eggs and references in my stories that many people might not have noticed. First off, a couple of my stories are based on already existing works of fiction. Broken Saviours, in particular, is very much inspired by the Dark Knight series of films. Kane, too, bears a startling resemblance to Bane, no? Even his fucking name. What was I thinking there? For the record, he's my least favourite villain. Perhaps my least favourite character entirely. Heh. Sorry, Kane. Moving on from this, there are several instances where I make reference to some of my other favourite forms of media throughout my stories. In case it wasn't already clear, I'm a massive Walking Dead fan. If you aren't, you can probably skip the following paragraph.

For starters, Lucille is obviously named after the baseball bat of the same name from both the comics and now the show. Not sure exactly how I decided on the name, but TWD is always on the mind so it may well have been impulse.

*On a side note, I wrote Lucille as an S.A.S. soldier long before I discovered that women, in fact, are not allowed to bear arms in the British Army. As well as this, there is not one single woman in the S.A.S. Because they're not allowed to apply for the special forces. That is bullshittery, let me tell you. I've since decided Lucille is just so much of a badass bitch that she's the only woman in history to be allowed join. Take that, England!

Her behaviour, too, and several chapter titles in both trilogies are references to a certain moment in the comics. This is also where I got the name for Broken Saviours. While three particular characters are the Saviours of Roanapur in that story, and are also 'broken', the initial idea for the title came from the group of the same name in the world of TWD. Which brings us onto the next massive source of inspiration from said comics. Y'all ready? He's gone unnamed so far, but I'm sure he's on most of your minds out there. Negan! He is literally my all-time favourite fictitious villain of modern media. And, if it wasn't obvious as fuckedy fuck, Hunter Woods is HEAVILY inspired by the character of Negan. Not only does he speak, behave(to a point) and dress almost the same, but I imagine he looks like Jeffrey Dean Morgan from the show. There was a point where Hunter was literally going to use 'eeny meeny miny moe' as a way of choosing who to kill when he had Revy, Wolf, Rock and Ulysses on their knees at the end of Dogs of War but that would have been too on the nose, not to mention he only really wanted one of them dead so it wouldn't have made much sense. There's a couple of other references in there, but I think I've pointed out the main ones. Any TWD fans out there won't be able to look at Hunter the same if they reread the stories he's in!

Other than this long, drawn out waste of time, I wanted to say a big, heartfelt thank you to each and every one of you reading this. If you took the time to read an author's note this long, it shows you really care. Even if you don't like my stories that much but took the time out of your day to read bits of them and/or this, THANK YOU! You are literally the reason I keep doing this.

On a sadder note, it may upset some of you to know that Dead Men Tell No Tales is my final Black Lagoon fanfic, probably for good. I know, I know, you were so eager to see me recycle the same story of a villain coming to Roanapur and getting wasted YET AGAIN. Seriously, why does anyone read the crap I write? But this seems like a good stopping point. I've wrapped up all the stories I started, I completed all the character arcs and to be honest, I just don't have any story left in me. Even over the last week or so, before I wrote the last chapter of DMTNT, I've been tempted to start another spin-off about Wolf. Because we all know how well those spin-offs do. Lol. Anyway, it probably won't happen, unless I think of some really cool story to write. (I've actually got some pretty cool ideas for it already, for fuck sake. It's going to be published before the week is out, isn't it? Goddammit.)

But once again, thank you all so damn much for your continued support. I hope my stories have served to make some of your days a bit brighter and perhaps allowed others to sate their appetite for Black Lagoon with no alternative. Except most other fanfics that are better than mine. Seriously, check out "The Puppeteer." It doesn't get updated that often, but it's going to be awesome when it's finished! Regardless, it's been an absolute pleasure writing these stories and I hope you all enjoyed.

Thank You,

Richard.


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